Redemption
by RainStorm4
Summary: Seasons 1, 2 and 3 of RWBY, told through the eyes of Russel Thrush and his team. Friendship, drama, (hopefully) some humour to build up some characters with a lot of potential who, at the moment in the show, are fairly 2D. CRDL-centric, but with plenty of interaction with the other teams. Russel/Yang ultimately.
1. Chapter 1

**A little introduction for this work. First thing I need to say is I really enjoy RWBY as a show, but I do not like how they've treated Team CRDL. In a show with a bunch of great characters I hate that they've fallen into the lazy cowardly bully archetype.**

 **I'm going to make a lot of it up but that's purely because the show doesn't give me a lot to work with. I am also ultimately going to pair Russel and Yang together, and I am calling that combination 'Phoenix'. That won't happen until I've had a chance to develop them as characters, though, so if you're in it for the romance you'll have to stick it out.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Welcome to Beacon!

God, what a joke.

I stand on the airship, watching Beacon approach. The acceptance letter they gave me is tucked into my shirt, and the edges keep pricking me every time I move – a constant reminder.

Welcome to Beacon.

I can still hear them: my 'parents'. You got in, you got in, we're so proud of you for getting in! They weren't, though. They were desperate for me to stay in Vacuo. Beacon is too far away, and too difficult to get to, and the headmaster has a _reputation_. For what, they won't say.

That's what really sold it to me.

But Russel, Solitaire Academy accepted you!

I didn't accept them.

To my right, some blond joker starts barfing. I don't blame him: I'm not great with heights either. But what sort of Hunter can't control his own stomach? I step away from his vomit-stench and wait for the ship doors to open, then step back again so two girls can go first.

Holy hell, how old is that chick? She's tiny! And then I promptly forget her because her sister is a tall, curvy blonde with eyes like amethysts.

I have to stop short to take a breath, wait for the stabbing pain in my heart to go away. Someone walks into me from behind and a deep voice snaps, 'Watch it!'

'Sorry, man,' I say, getting a hold of myself. The guy behind me is taller than I am and has an arrogant look to his face. He sneers at me and elbow past and I decide to volunteer to spar against him as soon as possible. That is a face that needs kicking.

Before that, there's the actual allocation of teams. I only know how Recluse does it, and I've only heard rumours of how Solitaire does it.

Should be interesting to see how it's done at Beacon.

* * *

That evening I camp out in a corner of the hall on my own, down the wall from the Faunus with the bow. She's reading something. I lie back and wish I brought a book. My oak-tree photo rustles in my pocket, but I don't want to pull it out with so many eyes around.

A few minutes later, the little silver-eyed girl and her smokin' sister come over to talk to the Faunus. The Faunus is standoffish and cold at first, and how _old_ is that little brunette? Seriously, she sounds like she's ten! Her sister – and my heart lurches again because I've glanced over and the blonde's looking around. Her eyes meet mine and I look away.

After a moment or so they leave the Faunus alone. I wish they had never come.

Though, it's nice to see that they don't care she's Faunus. They spoke like city-girls, usually the last people to warm up to the Faunus. It's in the country that race stops mattering, because what the hell's a tail worth when there are actual monsters outside your door?

Unless… no. _No!_ Really? _Really_?

It's a freaking ribbon!

* * *

The next day, we put on our party gear and go to the cliffs.

Landing strategy? Are they serious? Fuck yeah!

 _This_ is the perk of being a Huntsman. Not the adulation, not the wages – though those are pretty nice – that's not why this is the job I want to do; I want to be launched into the air at a thousand miles a minute.

They hurl me off the cliff. Surprisingly enough, I've never had a problem with the top of cliffs. It's always at the bottom that I start to feel claustrophobic. I spread my arms, feeling the wind tear at my skin. I feel weightless in more ways than one. This is simple: air, wind, trees – rapidly approaching – and weapons – to counteract that last. This is easy. This is _pure_.

Still, I need to get my shit together. I draw Polaris and Octantis and stab them into the first highest tree I see. My blades can cut stone, so it shouldn't be a surprise when they go through the wood like butter. I catch the next tree, and the one after that, using them as leverage to flick my limbs out of the way of branches and leaves, losing a little more speed each time until I can grab a branch and flip to the ground without dislocating my shoulder.

Maybe I need to make my blades more blunt.

Something is exploding overhead. It fades into the distance, leaving echoes of – cheering? Laughter?

I like this school more and more.

I set off through the woods in an easy jog, keeping my ears open for the sounds of life. I'm not used to forest, but I can recognise an Ursa track in sand or in – soil? Loam? Forest crap. Whatever, I need to be careful. Ursai are unpredictable: they can sniff around on their own, in pairs, in packs – it's impossible to be sure. Plus, I just hate them. I really, really hate them.

Something rustles and I spin, my blades up and my body tensed to run or fight. The sun glints off something metallic in the underbrush, and I relax slightly as another boy barges into the clearing and meets my eyes.

There's silence for a moment. He doesn't look displeased. His eyes linger on my daggers. I can't point fingers: I'm busy checking out his halberd myself, and wow, I've just realised we're standing there admiring each other's weapons. The thought makes me grin, and he grins back.

And then the second guy walks into the clearing. Of course. Because when have I ever been lucky?

'You seen anyone else around?' I ask.

'Sorry,' one says. He's shorter than his partner, and he _seems_ to be walking around with his eyes closed?

'Do you want to come with us?' the other one suggests. His voice is cultured and refined, and makes him sound like a university academic. 'If we make it to the temple, we should find someone else.'

'Sounds good. I'm Russel Thrush.'

'Sky Lark.' He holds his hand out and I shake it, trying to ignore the feeling that I'm turning into my last foster-father. He was the only person in Vacuo who shook hands.

'I'm Dove Bronzewing,' the other says.

'So you're from Vacuo,' Sky says as we set out

'Yeah.' Nobody ever has to guess if you're from Vacuo. The accent goes straight through their ears and hits their back teeth.

Apart from that, we don't talk much as we move. They've both got enough sense to keep quiet in a hostile environment, and they're pretty good at moving through forest – better than I am, in fact.

'Can you keep it down?' Dove says bitingly as I snap a twig.

'Whatever.' That's a dickish response even for me, so I add, 'I'm not used to forests.' I try to mimic his movements as best I can. It seems to help, but it also seems not to matter: this part of the forest is dead.

'Weren't there meant to be Grimm?' I mutter.

Dove shrugs. 'We probably scared them off.'

That seems unlikely.

We make it to a break in the trees, and below us is the forest temple. Dove goes to step out of the tree cover, and Sky throws his arm out to stop him. He opens his mouth to say something, looking angry, but I point at the clearing below us. A shadow the size of an airship is moving across the clearing.

We wait until the Nevermore turns away before we descend into the ruins. Chess pieces sit on the pedestals.

'This is a game, yeah?' I say.

'It's chess,' Sky says, looking at me like he thinks I'm an uncultured barbarian. He's not entirely wrong, but I want to tell them I wasn't talking about the pieces themselves. But then there's movement on the far side of the clearing. We all snap to, our weapons ready. When I see who it is I immediately regret the lack of a gun component on my blades: It's the asshole from the airship.

I need to check my attitude. Maybe he's not such an asshole. After all, I _was_ standing in the doorway.

He looks at us and smirks. 'So. Which of you doesn't have a partner?'

Crap. 'Me,' I say coolly.

He spreads his hands and grins. 'I'm Cardin Winchester.'

I resist the urge to tell him I don't care. It's a failing of mine, but I have a hard time shaking first impressions. 'Russel Thrush.' Chill, Russel, he's probably just nervous and overcompensating. Because if there's one character attribute I would assign to a guy who looks like he does, it's a need to overcompensate – no! Bad Russel. No dickishness. I look around. 'So what now?'

'We just choose a chess piece,' Cardin says confidently. He holds up a black bishop.

Thanks for waiting, guy. Whatever.

Dove glances at the second black bishop, then at Sky, who shrugs. He picks up the piece and we start walking back towards the cliffs.

'Seriously, where are all the Grimm?' Sky asks fifteen minutes later. We're almost at the cliffs and we haven't seen a single one.

'We should keep an eye out for an ambush,' Cardin comments. 'They might be at the cliffs themselves.'

We proceed with great caution after that, but nothing happens. We make it to the cliffs without any problems whatsoever.

That was pretty fucking anti-climactic.

* * *

We're the first ones back, apparently. Ozpin and Goodwitch are still there. 'Well done,' Ozpin says, looking mildly impressed. 'You made excellent time.'

Goodwitch directs us to a room off the main hall in the school. There's couches and food in there. We help ourselves to some lunch and sprawl around comfortably.

'So you're from Vacuo?' Cardin asks me.

'Yep. You?'

'I grew up in Vale,' he says. 'I went to Marker Academy.'

'We all did,' Sky adds. 'I don't think Dove and I were in many of your classes though, Cardin.'

'Marker's, what, a combat school?' I ask.

'What, you didn't prep?' he asks, lip raising in a sneer that's clearly so habitual I don't even take offence.

'Yeah, but we only had the one academy.'

'Vale has two,' Dove put in. 'Signal and Marker. Marker's better.'

'Yeah, Signal's good for flower arranging,' Cardin snorts.

I start to see why Vacuo always refused to open more than one academy at each level.

'So why'd you come here?' Sky asks me.

'Just didn't want to go to Solitaire,' I say with a physical shrug. 'I heard good things about Beacon, they offered a–' I almost say scholarship and quickly bite my tongue – 'place, and it was something new, you know?'

'Your family didn't mind?' Sky asked.

'I don't have one.' May as well get this out in the open straight away. 'My foster-parents didn't care.' And that is a bald-faced lie, so I should definitely set it out before they learn how to tell when I'm lying. 'What about you, your families live here?'

Sky nods. 'My parents work in the city.'

'My mum has a store on the main strip,' Dove says. 'She's getting pretty freaked out by all the Dust robberies.'

'She sells Dust?' Cardin asked.

'No, she's just freaked out.'

Sky holds up the black bishop. 'So I guess we'll be on a team together.'

'How do you figure?' Dove asks.

'There was two of each piece,' I say before Sky can respond.

He nods at me. 'Two pieces – each pair takes a piece – and we're put into four person teams.'

'Huh.' Dove looks impressed. 'Neat.'

Cardin looks bored. 'I just want to get started.'

We hang around for another couple of hours. We're in the middle of a game of cards when the final eight stagger in through the door.

I stare at them, halfway through dealing. They're smudged and grimy, a couple are sporting bruises, and the white-haired chick looks like she's about to collapse.

'Ren, Nora,' Sky says, clearly just as surprised.

They clearly went to Marker too, then.

The blonde, her sister, and the Faunus girl escort the white-haired girl over to a couch and fetch her something to eat. A short redhead in a shorter skirt and a tall black-haired boy stop to talk to Sky and Dove. A tall redhead with a body that could stop traffic and melt the road hangs back with a blonde kid. Is that vomit-boy?

'Sky,' the black-haired kid says formally. 'Dove.'

'What happened to you guys?' Dove asks.

'There was a Deathstalker!' the redhead explodes. 'And a Nevermore! And also some Ursai, but they didn't last long.'

'At least now we know where all the Grimm went,' I mutter to Cardin. He laughs. It's hard not to feel smug about coming in completely spotless when we compare ourselves to these guys.

Ren frowns slightly at us, but before he can say anything Goodwitch walks in. 'Alright, listen up,' she says crisply. 'Your luggage is in there–' she points with her cane and a door opens – 'as are showers. Clean up and get ready for the presentation schedule. You have under an hour.'

We – who don't even need to clean up – start our game again, and Goodwitch frowns at us for a moment before she leaves.

'So how likely is it that there _was_ a Deathstalker and a Nevermore?' I ask Sky under my breath. He shrugs.

'Nora Valkyrie is crazy, but Lie Ren is solid. So, pretty good.'

'Aren't Deathstalkers the least intelligent Grimm, though?' I ask sceptically. 'I thought they were easy as hell to avoid.'

They all shrug at me.

Goodwitch shows up as the other eight emerge from the showers, fresh and ready. She chivvies us into rows. 'Now, you finished first, so you'll be presented first,' she tells Cardin, Sky, Dove and me. She rearranges us so that it's Cardin, me, Dove and Sky, then moves onto the other teams.

'This is boring,' Dove says a few minutes later.

'But presentation is _so_ important,' I snark back. We start snickering, then fall silent as Goodwitch clears her throat behind us.

'I'm glad you agree, Mr Thrush.'

She stalks off and this time we wait until she's far, far away before we start to laugh.

I start to think that maybe, possibly, this won't be bad. It might even be good.

 **AN: They never specify who's partnered with who on Team CRDL. There's no way to tell based on the season 2 episode when you see them fighting, either, since they use a couple of combo-attacks (in season 3 Sky and Russel fight together, but so do Yang and Weiss, so that doesn't help much). For the purpose of the story, Russel is Cardin's partner, and Sky and Dove are together.**

 **I also decided to make Russel from Vacuo because there's a pretty significant aesthetic difference between him and his teammates. If you remember what Sun said about Vacuo being laid back, then that could make sense. I also made up a new academy because there's never any indication that any of the characters know each other previously. Likewise, Recluse and Solitaire Academies are my own creation.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

After the presentation, we're given directions to the dining hall, and then to our room. It's pretty late, so we don't bother unpacking, instead just crashing on the beds.

The next morning, we wake up pretty early, because some _fucking idiot_ is blowing a whistle down the hall.

'Fuuuuuck,' Dove groans. 'It's like when my brother was four all over again.'

Getting woken up at the ass-end of dawn isn't my idea of a good time either. But since we were, we decide to get up, moaning and bitching the whole way through. Nothing inspires team spirit like shared adversity, after all.

We start to unpack. Soon Cardin, Dove and Sky are squabbling over where to put their armour racks.

'Why'd you bring three?' Dove asks unbelievingly, gesturing at the pile of metal in the middle of the room.

Cardin refuses to back down. 'Because I need them.'

'How many did you bring?' Sky asks me.

I look up from the drawers. 'Dude,' I say, and tap my spaulder.

'That's all you use?' Dove gapes.

'Yeah, man. Full plate armour in Vacuo? You'd collapse.' I turn back to my bag. 'I'm just gonna hang my _armour_ off the end of my bed.'

'Hanging?' Dove says thoughtfully. 'Do you think we can hang the armour on the walls?'

'Maybe if we nail them in,' Sky suggests.

This time I pitch in to help. Half an hour later, we've gotten the armour racks – they're really just metal bars, set horizontally for the armour to rest on – set up: nailed into the wall at chest height.

'Nice,' Dove says approvingly.

'Really? Because I kind of think it looks like we have dismembered torsos hanging on our walls,' I say bluntly.

Dove shoots me an offended look. 'Where _else_ do you put your dismembered torsos? On the floor, like some sort of savage?'

Against my will I laugh. 'Whatever.' At least we won't trip over them.

Sky checks the time. 'You guys want to go for breakfast?'

We find the dining hall with ease. We seem to be the only people in here from our year, but it's half-full.

'Damn, they'll let any freak in here,' Cardin mumbles as he sees a rabbit-eared Faunus leaving the room.

I frown, but I'm the only one. Sky and Dove nod absent-minded agreement.

We help ourselves and eat in silence. We're too new to each other – mostly – to have anything to talk about and it's hard to just provide information about ourselves without making it sound natural. It's not uncomfortable, though.

Finally, Sky checks his watch. 'We should get going.'

We make it to the lecture hall and settle in with ten minutes to spare. Thirty seconds before the start of class – and the professor is staring at the clock in a way that gives me the feeling he's not the type to let any time go to waste – the door slams open and teams RWBY and JNPR fall in.

'Cutting it close,' Sky murmurs disapprovingly.

RWBY settles into the row of seats below us, and fifteen minutes in I can tell that they aren't going to be good students. The little one, Ruby Rose, is doodling, and not even well. Not that we can point fingers: Sky is paying attention, Dove is playing hangGrimm with himself and Cardin seems to be napping. I'm just people-watching.

Finally the white-haired one loses her temper. When Port asks for a volunteer – wait, I thought we were listening to his grandfather, who was a cabbage? – she almost springs out of her seat with sheer frustration.

'That's Weiss Schnee,' Cardin murmurs beside me, suddenly coming awake.

'Schnee? As in the company?' I whisper back.

'Yeah. I met her sister once a couple years ago.'

'Was she cute?' I ask.

'She was a frigid bitch,' Cardin says bitterly. I gather she _was_ cute, and also highly uninterested.

'Looks like her sister isn't much different,' I say, watching the look of concentration and rage on Weiss Schnee's face.

'Eh, she's not nearly as pretty as her sister Winter,' Cardin says dismissively.

We watch Schnee kill a Boarbatusk. She's not as good at it as I would have thought, actually needing help from her teammate. What kind of idiot doesn't realise to go for the area with the least armour? She clearly hasn't battled Grimm very often. 'Sloppy,' Sky comments at the very end.

'Weird,' I say. 'You'd think she'd be a better fighter.'

* * *

We settle into a routine over the next few weeks. I start running in the mornings, and after a while Dove joins me, though he, Cardin and Sky prefer to hit the gym and pump weights. Sometimes I'll join them; sometimes not. But as the days pass, I come to a realisation.

My partner is a real asshole.

He's a bully, is the main thing. He has no problem abusing whatever power he has. He doesn't push us around so much, but he genuinely just doesn't seem to see anyone else around him as his equal.

The weird thing is, though, he's not a complete dick. He really seems to like us, and is surprisingly good at getting around our individual personality quirks. Dove can be an immature prick, Sky can obsess over the smallest details, and I know I can be a moody bastard sometimes, but Cardin just bulldozes over these things like he's been doing it his entire life. He doesn't even notice. He's just so headstrong that he expects us to do our parts like the possibility of us not doesn't even cross our minds, and that sort of confidence sort of tricks you into thinking he's right, that you _can't_ act like an immature brat or an obsessive weirdo or a cranky asshole.

Of course, that's probably part of what makes him such a bully, I imagine. That sense that his way is the way things should go, and whatever doesn't fit doesn't even matter in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, he's the type of guy I'd have gotten into a brawl with by now back at Recluse, but it hasn't come to that point yet. The things he's asking us to do are the things he's entitled to ask us to do as team leader, so I haven't been too stroppy about it.

He's racist, though, and that's more of an issue for me.

I haven't talked to them about Faunus, because it's never come up. They don't realise Blake Belladonna has ears under the ribbon – even though it keeps _fucking moving_ – so there's nothing to discuss. Still, the way Cardin acts makes me realise he doesn't have much respect for Faunus, and neither do Sky or Dove, surprisingly. I think those two just haven't thought about it much. Cardin, on the other hand, actively disrespects them.

Living with them has made things better, but it still isn't perfect. I haven't been waking up depressed quite as often, but it does still happen. I won't sleep well, or I'll sleep too deeply and start to dream, or something will remind me of Violet, and I'll fall into a black mood: grief, but with so much anger it's impossible to separate and deal with it. Sky has noticed, sometimes, I think, but he hasn't realised why. He's just assumed I'm an irritable bastard.

It's not an excuse for what I did. It's only an explanation.

It was one of the days where I hadn't slept. I lie there, staring at the ceiling until I was out of my mind with boredom. I get up later than the others, don't go for a run, and come into breakfast with only twenty minutes left to eat something.

It isn't a good day for me.

Cardin – and I have no doubt he's behind this – has trapped Velvet Scarlatina at a table. I don't know why. Maybe I'm not the only one who hadn't slept, but he's making fun of her. She's clearly upset: her eyes are full of tears.

As I walk closer, an irrational surge of anger swells up in me. She can kick Cardin's ass clear across the dining hall. Why the fuck is she sitting there taking this shit? Why can't she get off her tail and help her own damn self? Is she waiting to be rescued by that dude with the sword? That isn't his fucking job!

I reach the table in time to watch Cardin grab her ears. I wait for the well-deserved asskicking she's no doubt going to hand out with more than a little expectation. You _don' t touch_ a Faunus' additional feature without their permission. Murders have been committed over it, and they've been ruled justified by other Faunus. Humans don't quite seem to understand how seriously the Faunus take it; but they do get that it's socially unacceptable.

'Please _stop_ ,' she says, bent over almost double

That's it? THAT'S IT? "Please stop", in that long-suffering voice? She thinks _that's_ going to make him stop? Show some fucking spine! Make him stop! I know for a fact that you can! Do something! Don't just stand there and bear it, fight back! Make him stop! Do _something_!

'I told you it was real,' he says to us.

I laugh. 'What a freak.'

Immediately I'm sickened at myself. The words just slipped out. I was so angry, it was like I was being poisoned. I just want her to fight back. I want her to do something. I still do. I just called her a freak, is she going to sit there and take it? She isn't a freak, and we both know it!

I want to hate her, to feel like Cardin felt: that she _is_ a freak, weak and weird, not a person with feelings of her own.

Cardin gets bored and lets go and Velvet walks off. I see her wipe away tears and I feel like a real dick.

I don't eat breakfast. I wait until Cardin, Sky and Dove leave for class, and then I go and look for Velvet. I need to apologise.

The older students have dormitories in a different building. I start towards it, then pause as I see Velvet through one of the archways. She's sitting on a fountain, talking with her teammate, the big one with the sword. I can't remember his name.

I take a step towards them and someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn my head, in time to catch Coco Adel's fist with my face.

See, _her_ name I know. I know, because she's famous. She's the best fighter and the baddest bitch around. She's regularly sent out on missions, and she always excels. The guy next to her is named Fox. He's a spooky-looking bastard, but he's just as tough as she is. Rumour has them as a couple. I hope to God it isn't true. The idea of them reproducing kind of terrifies me.

I hit the ground and slide for several metres. I wasn't expecting it. I stop, roll onto one knee and look up. Coco has lowered her glasses and she's giving me the sort of look that makes my testicles run for cover. 'Can we help you?'

I rotate my jaw carefully and glance over at Velvet. She hasn't noticed. Yatsuhashi – that's his name – has one massive arm around her shoulders. Coco and Fox have put themselves between me and her. She's being looked after.

I rise to my feet. 'No,' I say coldly. Coco isn't the one I need to apologise to. I turn and walk away, wondering whether fetching an icepack would be an admission of defeat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

I tell Cardin what happened. I have to; he asks why I showed up to class late with a bruise the size of an apple blossoming on my jaw.

'You know Coco Adel?' I ask, keeping my voice down so Oobleck doesn't hear me.

'Yeah.'

'You know how Velvet Scarlatina's on her team?'

'That bitch!'

Sky elbows Cardin, reminding him to keep his voice down. I feel bad. I made it sound like Coco hunted me down for revenge. 'She thought I was coming back to mess with Velvet some more,' I say in a low voice. He doesn't look placated. I harden my voice. 'Let it go, man. I'm not picking a fight with Team CFVY. We'll get creamed.' No pun intended.

Oobleck says something to Arc, sitting right below us, and I lower my head. He's talking about the Faunus wars. I know a fair bit about them, actually. Violet's great-grandfather was a veteran. I brushed up on my history the first year I travelled out to meet her family, hoping to impress the old man.

He was sunk so far in dementia when we got there that he mistook me for a general he had served under and kept trying to salute. We had some good conversations, though. He never knew who I was, but I like to think it made him happy.

He died two weeks later.

I've zoned out for a bit. When I come to I've dug a gouge the size of a penny out of the desk with the tip of my pencil and Dove and Sky are staring at me.

'What?' I mouth.

'Were you not listening?' Sky whispers.

I try not to glance down at the desk as I shake my head.

'Cardin just got _told_ by Nikos and Belladonna,' Dove says with a grin. I lean around them to glance at Cardin. He looks pretty fucking mad, alright. I'm sorry I missed it.

Cardin and Arc are held back after class and I leave with Sky and Dove. 'So what'd he actually say?' I ask as we leave.

Sky snorted. 'He started shooting his mouth off about Faunus being easy to train, which is why they won the war.'

I groan. 'Oh, for fuck's sake... Listen, guys, do you actually believe that? That Faunus are less than humans? Because I don't. I support the Faunus civil rights movement, ok?'

They look surprised. 'Not the impression I got this morning,' Sky say as non-judgmentally as he can manage.

I look away. 'Yeah, well… that was out of character for me, ok? I went to apologise to Scarlatina afterwards. Didn't get a chance, but I tried.'

They exchanged looks. 'I don't really know,' Dove admits finally. 'There weren't any Faunus at Marker. There aren't that many here.'

'Yeah, but you don't believe it, do you?' I press. 'I mean, where the hell is the logic of it?'

'They're not human,' Sky says with a shrug.

'Yeah, so? They're different, not worse. We're not better than people who aren't Hunters.'

'We kind of are,' Dove says. 'I mean, I can punch an Ursa to death.'

'Ok, fine. Let's say we're better 'cause we have training. Faunus have night vision. So they're _better_ than us by that logic.' I spread my hands. 'Do you even see how dumb this is?'

Sky is nodding slowly.

'Whatever. I actually knew Faunus, so whether you agree with me or not, keep it to yourself,' I say, giving up. I might have made a mark on Sky, but Dove is just starting to look irritated. 'I'm going to tell Cardin the same thing–'

'Don't bother,' an angry voice says behind me. Cardin. Oobleck didn't hold him back as long as I thought. 'I heard you.'

He elbows past me and strides off, looking angry. Dove whistles. 'Someone's pissy.'

'Whatever,' I say grimly. 'He can deal.'

We make it to our room and start our homework in uncomfortable silence. Cardin is brooding and steaming over some essay Oobleck set him as punishment. At any other time I'd offer to give him a hand, but whenever I move he glares at me. After a while, the tension gets unbearable. I mutter some excuse about going to the library and leave in relief.

I'm browsing in the library when I turn a corner and walk straight into Ruby Rose, knocking a pile of books out of her arms.

'Sorry,' I say, bending to gather them for her. When I straighten, Rose looks uncomfortable. 'You want these back?' I ask, raising one eyebrow and holding the books out for her.

'Thanks.' She takes them, but doesn't move. I cross my arms, wondering what her problem is. She's got something on her mind. She keeps opening her mouth and looking at me, then looking away.

'What?' I ask, trying not to grin. She's really cute – in a small puppy kind of way, not an 'I'd tap that' kind of way. Adorable, not attractive. In a couple of years she'll be like a blade, beautiful and sharp. At the moment, she reminds me of a foster-sister I was close to.

'Nothing,' she says finally. A book slips free. She tries to grab it and three more follow. I bend and pick them up again.

'Fine.' I hesitate. 'Let me help with these,' I say, nodding at the books. I can see them littering the route back to the dormitories like a trail of breadcrumbs.

'Thank you,' she says. We head out in silence. I haven't had much to do with team RWBY; all I really know about them are their weapons, their names and a few of the ways they while away class. I know Ruby Rose impressed the headmaster so much she got let into Beacon early, but that's about it. And I know her sister… Yang Xiao Long… I know she has purple eyes…

'You ok?' Rose asks next to me.

'Huh?' I glance down at her. 'Fine, why?'

'You looked really angry for a moment.'

'Just team shit.'

We reach the dormitory and Rose pauses.

'Listen, I know Cardin can be kind of a jerk–'

'What makes you think it's Cardin?' I ask, raising my eyebrow just to be annoying.

'Uh, because you and Dove and Sky seem to get on really well?' she says, raising her own in response.

I want to tell her that's true, but I feel like it would be betraying Cardin somehow. 'Don't believe everything you see,' I say instead.

'I just wanted to tell you that what you guys did to Velvet was really awful.'

From the lips of children. She looks like she's worried I'm going to hit her. 'Way to speak your mind,' I say instead. She frowns. 'I'm serious. That's impressive.' Even if it did take you the entire walk here to build up the courage. 'It's brave. I can admire that.'

'What you did to her was wrong.'

Oh Rose. It's so much more complicated than that. Of course it was wrong. It hurt someone. It made me feel better. It took away some of the darkness in my heart. It was wrong, and for a brief, brief moment it felt wonderful. 'Yeah.'

'You should apologise,' she says stubbornly.

'I tried,' I say.

Her mouth opens for the next question, but suddenly I'm tired. I'm so, so tired. I pile the books on top of the ones in her arms, but she's not ready for the sudden weight. They all spill to the ground again.

I open my mouth, but a loud angry voice behind me says 'Hey!' and a hand grabs me and spins me around. Yang Xiao Long is standing there, and she is _pissed._

After a moment, I realise what she must have seen: me, talking to her defensive-looking sister, then a pile of books clattering to the ground. Why not? Cardin's done it to Arc before. After my behaviour this morning it would fit in with what she knew of me.

I don't care. All I can see are her eyes. They're shining with anger. They're so beautiful.

'Yeah?' I manage to get out.

She balls up her fist and I wait to get hit in the face by a girl who isn't pulling punches for the second time that day. Rose rises to her feet. 'Yang, it was an accident!' _Wow,_ Rose. Could you have chosen words that made it sound any _more_ like you were lying out of fear of retaliation? Why not just tell her you walked into a door? Xiao Long obviously agrees, because she swings at me.

I dodge. Xiao Long's punch breezes past my face. I also step on one of Rose's books in the process.

Rose doesn't notice; she steps in front of me, in between us. 'Yang, stop it! I dropped them. I wasn't ready for the weight, ok?'

'Chill, Rose.' My fatigue is still present, mixed with the rising tide of sadness. It makes my voice quiet and lethargic. 'It's fine.' She's just trying to protect you, Rose. Let her. One day she won't be able to. Let her until then.

I step around Rose and walk past her and her sister, eyes on the ground, waiting to be punched. I would almost welcome it: physical pain can be dealt with.

It goes away, eventually.

I reach the room without even remembering that Cardin and I are feuding. He's not present, though. I climb onto bed, throw an arm over my eyes and doze off.

When I wake up the next morning, my hand is asleep, but I feel a little better. A little happier; like the day won't be terrible. I don't have to force myself up. Even Cardin seems to have forgotten that we're fighting. I pass team RWBY in the hallways; Rose gives me a wary look. I think I've confused her. Xiao Long, Belladonna and Schnee glare at me. Makes sense: Xiao Long is doing the big-sister thing, Belladonna is doing the angry Faunus thing, even if she can't admit it, and Schnee just doesn't like me.

* * *

The next few days are really, really weird.

Cardin has started hanging out with Jaune Arc. Actually, maybe hanging out isn't the right phrase: lording over? Yeah, that's more appropriate.

Sky and Dove have no clue either. I sound them out, and they're just as confused as I am. Finally I snap.

Arc has just come and gone to deliver Cardin's homework to him. All of Cardin's homework. In almost total silence. Cardin is grinning like an idiot.

'Ok. Cardin, the fuck?' I demand.

He tries to look innocent. 'What?'

'Exactly. What? What's going on?' I demand. 'You hate Arc.'

Cardin grins. 'Actually we're friends now.'

'Bullshit,' I say firmly. 'He looked like he wanted to jump. Why is he doing all this shit for you?'

Cardin can't hold it in. 'He snuck into Beacon.'

I pause. 'What?'

'He forged his transcripts and snuck into Beacon.' Cardin spread his hands. 'That's why he fights like a three-year-old. He has no training.'

That entitled little prick. That glory-seeking little _bastard_. Sky and Dove look just as angry as I do.

'He didn't even go to a combat school?' Dove demands.

'Nope.' Cardin smirks.

'So you're blackmailing him,' Sky says disapprovingly.

Cardin shrugs. 'So?'

Sky opens his mouth to continue and I stop him. 'Let him,' I say to Sky. 'It's Arc's own fucking fault. The entitled little asshole wants to stay here, he may as well earn it _somehow_.'

'If you get caught you're in deep trouble,' Sky says to Cardin.

'If he gets caught we're _all_ in trouble,' Dove says.

Cardin hesitates. He hadn't realised that by telling us, he was making us complicit. 'Ok,' he sighs. 'One last prank tomorrow, then I'm done.'

'Will you tell anyone?' I ask.

'He can't now,' Sky says. 'Not without Arc telling them about being blackmailed.'

'Nice,' I say bitterly. 'So the little prick gets away with it?'

'Someone has to have realised by now,' Dove says. 'I mean, he fights like – I don't even know. I can't even think of a comparison because he's such a rubbish fighter.'

I look at Cardin and can't help but think this is his fault. If he hadn't been busy tripping on his own power, he could have gotten Arc kicked out. Cardin sees me and guesses my thoughts, and he flushes angrily and turns away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The next day we take a field trip to the Forest of Forever Fall. We've been sent out for – sap?

'Yes students, the Forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful,' Goodwitch says, sounding bored out of her skull. 'But, we are not here to sightsee! Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest and I'm here to make sure that none of you die while doing so.' She sounds _so_ choked up at the possibility.

Behind us, Arc runs into Cardin, then backs up like a puppy when Cardin turns to glare at him. _Man,_ I want to slap him upside the head.

'Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!'

'Come on, buddy,' Cardin says to Jaune. 'Let's go.'

We watch to see where the other teams are going, then take the opposite direction. After a moment, we come to a clearing and slump to the ground, watching as Cardin sends Arc off to gather the sap for us.

'Why the fuck do they want this stuff?' I demand. This place is making me edgy. The leaves are red as blood, reminding me too vividly of some of my more gruesome nightmares.

'The wood retards Aura generation,' Sky says. I latch onto his voice with relief. He's slumped against a tree with a degree of relaxation I just can't match. 'They used to use it to build cages for rogue Hunters and Huntresses. Peach is trying to work out if the sap has similar properties. If they can make a serum that _retards_ Aura generation, they might be able to reverse-engineer it so that they can _increase_ –'

'Nerd,' Dove says mildly.

'Shut up,' Sky says, grinning slightly.

'So what are you actually planning?' I ask Cardin.

Cardin grins. 'I'm going to make Jaune get Pyrrha stung.'

'Nikos?' I frown. 'Where does she come into this?'

'I'm sick of her showing me up.' Cardin looks genuinely enraged for a moment, and I raise my eyebrows. He does _not_ like being beaten. 'So I'm going make Jaune cover her in sap. And then we're going to release the rapier wasps.'

'You're a fucking nutcase, Cardin,' I say bluntly. 'You don't think that's a bit much?'

He grins. 'Relax. The stings fade within an hour.'

'Yeah, unless she's _allergic_ ,' Sky says angrily. I'm glad I have an ally in this.

'I know you want to mess with Arc,' I say, taking over again, 'But I'm _not_ letting you risk Nikos dying of anaphylactic shock.' He glares at me, but I've put my foot down on this one and I stare right back at him.

'If he just wants to mess with Arc,' Dove puts in, 'Why not just tell him we'll release the wasps and not follow through?'

'Yeah!' Cardin says, looking excited.

I want to pound my head against a tree. What is _wrong_ with this team? What sort of fucked-up personality decides getting someone stung repeatedly by wasps is fair payback for being better in class? Cardin. What sort of person decides hardcore psychological warfare is a suitable substitution? Dove. I'm almost afraid of what Sky will suggest if I keep refusing. 'Fine. Fuck it, fine.' What's the worst that will happen? She'll get covered in sap. She's got her Aura up, she won't get glassed. If Arc is the one to do it, she'll shrug it off. Or at least, she won't report it. I shudder to think about the effect this will have on their team, though, and I point this out. 'You guys knowing you're fucking Team JNPR up, right? I mean, isn't Nikos gonna wonder what's going on?'

'Nikos already knows he snuck in,' Cardin says with a smirk. 'How do you think I found out? I overheard them talking about it.'

A rush of rage washes over me. 'She _knew_?' What is _wrong_ with these people? Do they just not care that most of us had to slave to get here?

Cardin, I kind of get. He isn't the type of person who's able to resist holding that sort of power in his hand. He has to squeeze, just to watch Arc squirm. But Nikos? She's the best fighter in the school. She never had to strive to succeed. Maybe that means she just can't understand what it feels like to strive and then see someone just bypass that; see them exploit the system, and to use your own effort – all the effort you put in into turning yourself into a warrior – and the academy's reward of that investment in the form of a place, and then just undercut it completely to get what they want.

Arc struck at the very foundation of what it means to me to be a Hunter when he did what he did, and I know, in that moment, that there'll be a part of me that never forgives him for that.

I grit my teeth. I won't betray myself. 'No wasps,' I snarl. 'Arc throws the sap, though.'

Let's see what the little bastard is really made of.

* * *

By the time Arc returns, I've calmed down slightly. I'm still too furious to say anything, though. I just watch him as Cardin leads us to the ridge. He's speaking to Arc like he's a retarded puppy. If it were me I would have planted Polaris or Octantis in his windpipe by now. Arc doesn't even seem to notice. It's pathetic.

From the ridge we can see the other teams. They've stayed together. For a moment my focus wavers: Yang Xiao Long is standing with one hand on her hip, holding a jar of sap up. it looks like a pinup pose. From here I can't see her eyes, and I take a moment to appreciate the view without the usual tug on my heart. Really, apart from Lie, it's a clearing stocked full of beautiful girls, and he's almost feminine enough to count. This view is almost worth it.

'Cardin, what's going on?'

So the penny has dropped. The echoing it makes is obvious to us all.

'Payback.' I know he's acting – I think he's acting – He's not acting. He sounds too angry. Still, if he tries to go through with it I'll stop him myself if I have to.

'Pyrrha?' Arc whispers. 'What are you–'

'That's the girl. Red-haired know it all, thinks she's so smart… alright boys.' He picks up the box of wasps. 'Last night old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box full of rapier wasps.' How _did_ he do that? Those things are vicious. 'And now, we're gonna put 'em to work.'

I reach over and clap Arc on the shoulder, purely to mess with him. He's freaking out.

'Now, according to one of the essays he wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets. I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two.'

This is it. I stand up and watch Cardin pull Arc to his feet. 'And you're gonna do it.' Arc looks horrified. He should. What Cardin is suggesting is completely disproportionate for the slight. I know when things settle down I'll have to think, really think, about what it says about my partner that he didn't realise that himself.

'Do what?' Arc asks. Ok, that's not even up to his lack of training. That's freaking obvious. What do you think, dumbass?

'Hit her with the sap. Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon.'

I roll my eyes at Sky. Cardin is really laying on this 'school bully' act. Sky raises his eyebrow at me. He doesn't understand what I'm reacting to. A cold tendril of disgust uncoils in my belly as I realise what that means.

Arc raises his arm. I can't believe he'd go through with it. What a selfish bastard…

And then Arc decides to grow a pair. He refuses, and then he saps Cardin. I desperately want to laugh, but team solidarity demands that I stand by and watch as Cardin hands Arc his ass on a platter. If nothing else, I think, this will teach Arc the importance of brushing up on his combat ski–

A blast of light blinds me and my Aura flares up in response. Arc just activated his Aura, throwing Cardin clear. I want to demand to know what he's doing, but that's the whole point, isn't it? He has _no idea_ what he's doing because _he never went to combat school_.

Cardin gets to his feet, understandably pissed.

And then it all goes to hell.

* * *

I should have noticed. One of us should have noticed. In a team of four, one of us should have noticed. But we didn't. Maybe they were like me. Maybe the raw Aura Arc was flailing around had set their Aura abuzz too, and, like me, they were trying to wrestle it back under control. Maybe they were just too busy watching Cardin school Arc.

One of us should have heard it approaching. The first warning we get is the coughing growl that marks its kind – the same noise that sent shivers down my spine and haunted my dreams.

The Ursa bounds out into the clearing. It's huge, old, with spines sticking out everywhere. We should have heard it approaching. That's all I can think. We should have heard it coming.

It rears up and sniffs the air and all I can think is, what is it looking for? Then it seems to zero in on Cardin.

The fear that struck me when the Ursa entered the clearing intensifies until I can't even make sense of what I'm seeing. Sky turns and runs, then Dove, and before I know it I am too, bolting, heedless of the fact that the chances of breaking an ankle running through the forest is so high as to be almost solid fact. Maybe Dove's right, maybe we are better than normal people, maybe my athleticism pays off, or maybe it's just dumb luck that I don't, because I am not thinking to take care. I am thinking of nothing at all. All I am is desperate flight. Until I run right into Xiao Long.

I hit her chest and she grabs me before I have a chance to fall to the ground. 'What?' she says, her voice high in shock, and I realise I've been yelling God only knows what. 'Where?' She's talking about the Ursa, she must be.

'Back there,' I yell, pointing. I feel like I did after I got surgery when I was twelve and I was coming out from the anaesthesia – I'm yelling without thought or effort. It would be stream of consciousness if I could muster any consciousness at all. Then something hits me, a jolt of comprehension, and I add 'It's got Cardin!'

They're talking behind me. Xiao Long releases her grip and I drop to the ground. I hear someone mention Goodwitch and suddenly my fear is presented with a remedy. Goodwitch can protect me. I don't know where Sky and Dove are, I don't know where Goodwitch is – where is she, why isn't she with the students?

I recognise the path. It's the one that leads back to the school. I round a corner and Goodwitch is standing there.

'Ursa,' I gasp out. I feel weak. My entire body is trembling. 'Ursa, with Cardin!'

She sprints past me without a word, buffeting me to the side. I spin on the spot and see her charge past Xiao Long and Belladonna.

I sink to the ground. I feel feverish. The terror has receded, and in its wake it's left – nothing. I'm numb.

Someone comes to stand next to me. 'You alright?' Xiao Long asks grudgingly.

The barely-veiled contempt in her voice spurs me to my feet. 'Yeah,' I say, clenching my jaw so my voice doesn't shake. I need to go back to Cardin. Before I can summon my strength, Sky and Dove emerge from the path. They must have passed Goodwitch entirely. They're both pale and moving slowly.

We turn to go back down the path, all of us walking like we've been seriously ill. Xiao Long and Belladonna disappeared when I wasn't looking. Before we get far, Goodwitch appears, the entire class behind her. Cardin is walking next to Arc, staring at the ground. He won't meet our eyes.

Nobody will.

* * *

We end up in our dorm room in total silence. Nobody knows what to say, or even if we should say something. Dove and Sky sit side by side on Dove's bed. Cardin is at his desk, not doing any work, and I'm sprawled on my bed, waiting for my stomach to stop roiling.

Now is the time I think CRDL could use a real leader. Someone who steps in and bucks us all up. I don't understand what happened. I don't understand why we ran. I don't understand where that sickening, roiling fear came from. This isn't the first time I've fought Ursai. Please don't tell me I'm afraid of them. Please don't tell me I can't face them again. I have to be able to fight Grimm. I'm a fucking Huntsman, I have to be able to fight Grimm.

What went wrong? I've killed Ursai before. What happened? Is it my memories?

There's the sound of voices overhead, drifting down to our window. Cardin stands and in two swift moves crosses to the window and closes it.

'I need to – talk to you guys,' he says without looking around.

We all turn our heads. I can see his face in the window, reflected on the glass. It looks – haunted. Concerned, I sit upright.

'I – messed up,' he says quietly. I can tell how much it hurts him to have to say that. 'Really, really bad. It's my fault you ran today.'

A tiny seed of hope kindles in my heart. 'What d'you mean?' I ask, sitting upright.

He turns and I kind of want to take a step back. He looks so damned _sad_. 'My Semblance is fear.'

'What?' Dove asks.

'My Semblance. It's fear. It makes you afraid. When Arc's flared up, and then the Ursa… I used my Semblance and you all got caught up in it.'

There's a moment of total silence as we process this.

I begin to laugh.

From the look on his face this was not the reaction he was expecting. I stand and cross the room to him. 'Cardin, you asshole!' I punch him in the arm, desperate to give him even a small bit of reassurance and physical contact. 'The hell'd you use it in a melee for?' I'm so relieved. I'm so goddamned relieved.

He looks angry for a moment. 'I lost my head, alright?'

'Yeah, so did we,' Dove says, starting to smile. Sky looks less amused. 'Thanks for that.'

'Ok.' I'm so relieved. I thought I'd lost my nerve. I thought after Violet – no, away, not there, don't go there. 'Ok, so we just have to work out how to work around it next time. You ever used it when the people around you know what you're doing?'

'What do you mean?' he asks, confused. The conversation is outpacing him pretty quickly. I'm running on adrenaline and relief, myself, and I'm running from the fear as fast as I can.

'Well, if we know about your Semblance, does it still work on us?' I ask. ''Cause don't get me wrong, it's pretty useful, but not if you freak us the fuck out as well.'

He looks disconcerted. Not how you were expecting me to react, perhaps? Too damned bad. I won't let you drive me from the Academy, and I can't stay unless I know it was you, and not me. 'I – don't know. I haven't told anyone before.'

'Ok, let's find out.' I kick Polaris and Octantis under the bed to be safe and spread my arms. 'Try it.'

'I –'

'Come on, man, don't make me call you a pussy.'

He closes his eyes and a wave of unreasoning panic hits me. My knees weaken, my bowels clench and I whimper involuntarily.

He eases up and I sit on my bed with a thump. 'Fuck,' I say, my voice high. Dove looks around from where he's struggling with the doorhandle. Sky uncurls from the foetal position. 'Fuck, man, that's brutal.'

Cardin looks ashamed. 'I can't–'

'Try it again, longer this time,' I order. 'I wanna see if you can get used to it.'

He does it again, and again. Each time it's just as bad.

'Ok,' I say. 'Let's – let's try again–' Dove groans. 'Tomorrow,' I relent.

Cardin looks ashamed of himself. 'I'm – sorry,' he mumbles.

'Don't worry about it, man,' I say, sprawling on the bed to hide the fact that my knees are shaking. 'My Semblance is just as rubbish.'

'Oh yeah? My Semblance _attracts_ Grim.'

I freeze. I hadn't thought of that, even when I wondered why the Grimm went straight for Cardin. I had thought it was like a Rapier wasp, attracted to sweets. I wished I could put that one on Cardin's Aura. 'Huh. You're right, that is shit.'

'Thanks, asshole,' he says bitterly.

Dove and Sky start making conversation to fill the void. Cardin stays silent and I wonder what he's thinking. Then I realise he's probably thinking the same thing I always thought about my Semblance.

'If you think about it,' I say pseudo-thoughtfully, pretending it was an idle thought, 'Your Semblance is a pretty decent survival mechanism. Lure Grimm into a straight line and then just knock 'em over the head.'

'Yeah, except Grimm aren't famous for being _subtle,_ ' Cardin says bitterly. 'Plus, I keep losing my head.'

'Well, that's why we're here, right?' Sky says with a shrug. 'You've got four years to learn to keep it.'

I grin. 'You know, the best thing we can do as your team is be annoying as hell. Then you'll learn to keep your temper.'

Cardin let lose a snort of laughter. 'I'll have to kick your ass if you do.'

'First time you've kicked anything's ass,' I mumble.

'Asshole.' He pauses. 'So… you said your Semblance is pretty bad too?'

I hesitate. He told us about his, but then, he kind of had to. The thing is, your Semblance is so _private_. Cardin took a big step admitting his. Some are obvious – Rose's speed, Schnee's glyphs, even Belladonna's clones – and my personal theory is that those people wouldn't mind others knowing their Semblance anyway, out of showiness, pride or pragmatism. Don't know if that's chicken or egg: they're those people or they became those people as a result. But Cardin's, and mine? I'm not really ready to take that step.

'Um… not tonight, man. I'm kind of tired.'

We fall into silence again, but this time it's far more comfortable. Almost...friendly.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was the starting point of this story. The idea of the Ursa being attracted to the sap didn't make much sense when you consider that they don't seem to need to eat. On the other hand, we know someone's Aura can be used to awaken another person's. If controlled Aura does that, uncontrolled Aura could attract a similar response.**

 **My idea of Semblances being private is drawn from Season 2, episode 4, when Blake freaks out because Yang is getting thrown around by Torchwick. Ruby has to explain Yang's Semblance. A Semblance seems like something you would tell your partner, unless there's a cultural inclination towards keeping Semblances private. Some can't be hidden, but some, the ones with negative consequences especially, I imagine people would keep to themselves.**

 **The names of Russel's weapon are completely made up. Polaris is the Northern Star. Sigma Octantis is the closest thing to a southern star. Ironically, Polaris is also called Ursae Minoris, which made me wonder why Rooster Teeth hasn't used this already. I know they've got a fair few characters, but the 'gang of bullies' archetype is a fairly lazy one to fall into. It would be nice for them to develop the characters a bit (and by that I mean at all).**

 **The last one: Seriously, why** ** _did_** **they want the sap? The explanation is mine, but it makes as much sense as anything else I can think of.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Reviews are deeply, deeply appreciated!**

 **Chapter Five**

Goodwitch gives Team CRDL an odd look the next day when we wander into the classroom talking among ourselves and smiling. She clearly expects us to be – what? Wrecks? Cringing? Subdued? Whatever. We know what we did and we know why, and we aren't going to feel bad about what happened, and we aren't going to let _Cardin_ feel bad about what happened, either. What happened happened, and if we aren't here to improve then why the fuck are we here? I plan to make this point, complete with pointed examples (pardon the pun) if Arc and his friends start trying to get smart about it.

None of them comment, though. Nikos and Arc are too wrapped up in talking, in rebuilding their bond, maybe. I wonder if Arc notices the yearning in Nikos's eyes as she talks to him. I wonder if Nikos notices it. It seems new, to me, but I don't spend my entire time staring at Nikos. The odd moment, maybe, when I take a second to admire her. Not that I'm into her, but someone who's not an architect can admire a fine building.

Nora Valkyrie doesn't even seem to notice us. That's normal. She's too wrapped up in her own world to notice a lot. I like to imagine that world. Everything is moving so much faster than our world and it's all coloured pink. Lie Ren gives us a few hard looks, but he never thought much of us. Now he thinks we're cowards. So what? Before he thought we were thugs. I don't care what he thinks and I hope he knows it.

Team RWBY is even less subtle. Schnee openly sneers at us. Belladonna's lip curls every time she looks at us. Xiao Long rolls her eyes. Only Rose doesn't seem to have changed how she treats us. But again, she didn't like us in the first place.

Maybe CRDL should be nicer to our classmates.

None of them have brought it up, though. Maybe Arc knows what will happen if they do. There's a moment before class starts when he comes in and he meets Cardin's eye, and there's a measured look on both faces, and then they both look away. This makes me thing that maybe they've come to some sort of accommodation, or understanding. Arc doesn't deserve to be here. Cardin doesn't deserve to be able to push him around the way he was doing, especially after Arc saved him. The storm has passed; it's time to pick up the pieces now.

* * *

Goodwitch and our other professors keep a close eye on us over the next few days. I wonder how much they know. Do they know about Cardin's Semblance? Or do they think we just lost our nerve? I ask Sky and Dove and neither can provide any clues, although Dove does make a good point.

'Maybe they're just on the lookout for PES,' he suggests.

'Post-Engagement Stress?' I want to laugh at the idea, but something on Dove's face suggests this might be a sensitive topic. 'Maybe,' I allow. A thought strikes me. 'You don't think Cardin has it, do you?'

'Nah,' Sky says. 'I think he was just a bit shaken up. He doesn't have any of the signs. Depression, bad dreams, fugue states, mood swings…' Sky's voice trails off at the end and he gives me a searching look.

'He hasn't shown any of that, but it has only been a few days.' I shrug. 'Besides, it was barely an engagement.'

'They're thinking of renaming it,' Sky says. 'Engagement is too specific, apparently, and it's not just limited to Hunters. Civilians and stuff get it too.'

I shrug at him. I'm not sure what he wants from me. 'Whatever, if they're looking for that, they're on their own.'

Cardin enters and looks at us. 'What's up?'

'Talking about Semblances,' Dove says. That guy's ability to tell a lie without blinking is kind of chilling. 'We were trying to work out how to work yours into a melee.'

We've found out that our tolerances _are_ increasing. Or maybe Cardin is getting better at redirecting it; it's impossible to say. It affects us less if we're behind him, out of his line of sight. It affects us less if he's focusing on a specific target; for example, if he's trying to scare Dove, Sky and I won't be hit as badly. The level of concentration he needs for that is beyond what he's capable of in a fight, though, I think. The problem is, Cardin loses his head. He's a great technical fighter, but in battles he'll just get carried away or enraged. He doesn't have the same cold calculation someone like Schnee or Nikos has.

Dove and Sky revealed their Semblances a few days after the encounter with the Ursa. Dove can send out a wave of sound that acts like echolocation, bouncing off objects and telling him where they are. He can apparently use it concussively, too, but he hasn't shown us yet, because Sky's Semblance is super-senses. Eyesight, touch, scent, and of course, hearing. They're useful in things like lie-detection, tracking; even in combat, where he can note weaknesses invisible to the naked eye and act on them. But if Dove were to use his Semblance when Sky was using his, it's entirely possible Sky would be deafened. Since Sky has a bad habit of activating his Semblance without thinking to give himself an edge in combat...

I have a feeling he also uses it to cheat at cards. But so far he's not admitting to anything.

They're probably waiting for me to reveal mine, but whatever. It wouldn't surprise me, in fact, if Dove chose his lie for that specific reason: because then they would have an excuse to push the matter.

I swing my legs off the bed. 'I'm going to check the mail.' I never get mail. That's such a dumb excuse. I wait for someone to call me on it.

'Ok,' Sky says instantly. 'Check for the rest of us, would you?'

'Sure, man.'

There's no mail for me. There's no mail for anyone in my team. It was a _really_ dumb excuse, for Sky and for me. I don't get any mail because I have no family. Sky, Dove and Cardin rarely get mail because all their families _live in Vale._

So, I wonder. What did Sky want me out of the room for?

It's tempting to go up to the roof and eavesdrop, but probably also a little petty and distrustful. Ok, there's no 'probably' about it. After all, maybe they were just giving me an excuse to get out of the room, to avoid discussing my Semblance. They know I don't want to. Sky covers for Dove's fuck-ups and tries to keep the peace as much as he can; maybe he was just trying to head off a fight.

Maybe.

I turn a corner and walk straight into Ozpin. 'Sorry,' I say. He's giving me a level look, his head tilted to the side, and for some reason it really pisses me off. Doesn't anything phase this guy?

'No matter,' he says. It sounds like he's not talking about the collision; he's talking about _me._

Calm down, Russel. You're paranoid because of Sky. You've never even spoken to Ozpin, why should he have any opinion about you?

'Walk with me a few minutes, won't you, Russel?' Ozpin says suddenly.

I raise one eyebrow, not caring if he sees it. 'Sure.' He knows your name?

We set off. He walks slowly, and I match his pace, fuming inwardly. There is nothing I hate more than walking slowly. _Ambling_. It's the worst. The point of walking is to get places, not die of old age before you make your destination.

'How are you finding my school, Russel?' Ozpin asks abruptly. My school. Pretentious, pompous, entitled windbag.

'It's nice,' I say.

'Colder than Vacuo, I'm sure you've realised.'

Heh. Yeah. For the first time in my life, I was actually glad of my habit of wearing long sleeves when I came here. 'It's not so bad.'

'And how are you and your new team progressing?'

I was wrong. There is something I hate more than walking slowly, and that's probing questions. 'We're fine,' I say curtly.

'Oh?' Ozpin doesn't add anything. We walk in silence a little further. I gradually stop fuming.

The walkway opens out onto a balcony that overlooks the school. Ozpin wanders up to the edge, then turns to me. 'Do you know, I received a letter from your headmistress at Recluse after you graduated?' Ozpin asks pleasantly.

I tense. 'Oh?' I ask as insolently as I can, deliberately trying to mimic him. 'What'd she say?'

'She said that she was glad that you had proved yourself to the degree that you did. She was glad that I had recognised that by offering you a place at my academy. She also said that she wanted me to postpone that offer by a year.'

I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood. I don't say anything. I had honestly thought I could trust her. That was my first mistake. You can't trust adults. They say something is for your own good, when nine times out of ten it's for their own convenience. I had thought she was the tenth. I was wrong. This hurts more than it should.

'She said that if the events that occurred had transpired prior to graduation, she would have taken steps herself. As it was out of her hands, she wrote to me to inform me that she didn't feel that it would be safe to allow you to continue with your training.' He stares out over his school and his voice doesn't change even a bit as he goes on, 'She was concerned you would hurt yourself. Or allow yourself to be hurt.'

Why is he telling me this? 'What'd you say?' I demand quietly.

'I said that you had already accepted.'

'That's it?' I'm thrown. He said it in such a matter-of-fact tone. I can't read this guy.

'That was all there was to be said. You had accepted my offer. I could not reasonably refuse it to you, not when you had genuinely earned your place here.' He turns to look at me. 'I am beginning to have grave concerns that she was correct. Many students have passed through these halls. Few have carried the same type of burden for so long, in such silence, as you. I am concerned about how long you can continue to do so without breaking under its weight.'

I keep quiet. I'm not discussing my heartbreak with this man.

'If I may offer you some advice…' Ozpin gives me a look full of such sympathy that I want to punch him in the face just to make the pain he's recognising go away. 'Tell your teammates what happened, Russel. They should know why you have erected this barrier around you.'

'Barrier?' I blurt. That's the last thing I expected to hear.

'Yes. Barrier. The wall of insolence, indifference and sarcasm you use to keep them away, to keep them from getting to know you so as to prevent them from realising how deeply you have been hurt.' His words are ringing in my ears like a bell. There's truth in them that can't be denied. He sees my face and gentles his voice. 'You have four years to spend here, Russel. Will you really spend them alone?'

'Yeah,' I say, turning to look away from him. 'Best way to get stuff done.'

'I won't try and make your choice for you, Russel,' he says, turning to leave. 'Nor can I help you if you will not allow me to, try though I may.'

'I don't need your help.' I don't try to lower my voice. I just wish it sounded half as convincing as his had a moment ago. He clearly agrees, because Ozpin gives me a sad, sceptical look and leaves to tend to his school and the other students, the ones who aren't broken into a million pieces inside.

I wait until he's gone, then I sink to the ground and bury my face in my hands.

* * *

 **PES is my own creation – the RWBY universe's version of PTSD.**

 **Team CRDL's Semblances are also entirely my own creation, though I am really fond of them. Cardin's was because I needed an excuse for his team to bolt, and it did fit in with his role as a bully. Dove's is honestly kind of a gag: I like how they've never shown him with his eyes open, and the idea that he didn't** ** _need_** **them kind of appealed to me, as well as the fact that he has no voice actor. Sky's was something Dove would nullify, so they had an excuse never to use their Semblances in combat. Sky's is one of those 'boring-but-practical' superpowers that get tacked onto superheroes as a secondary power because they're really dull. Russel's Semblance will be revealed later, I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

'How do they name teams?' Dove asks abruptly a week later.

'Hm?' Sky looks up from his book.

'Teams,' Dove repeats. 'I mean, Ruby leads team RWBY, right? Cardin leads team CRDL, and Jaune leads team JNPR. Do they name the teams for the leaders?'

'I think that's probably just coincidence,' Sky says, turning back to his book.

'Yeah, but I mean, Ruby and Cardin? Hell of a coincidence. I mean,' he says, warming up, 'RWBY could be B-W-R-Y and just pronounce it berry.'

'Berry?' I repeat.

'Yeah.'

I snort. 'Or BRWY and pronounce it brewery. JNPR could be team PNJR, but it'd have to be a silent P.'

'Because Nora Valkyrie is what I think of when I think of a ninja,' Sky says with half his attention.

'Maybe that's what the ninjas _want_ us to think,' Dove says in a mysterious tone.

'They must need to have the leaders first,' Sky says, still reading. If I didn't know better I would think his Semblance was the ability to read and carry on a conversation simultaneously. 'JNPR, RWBY, CRDL… even CFVY. They have the leaders first and then work from there.'

'Thank fuck for that,' I say. 'Can you imagine being team dee-licker?'

Dove laughs so hard he falls of the bed.

'Um…' Sky looks up and gives me his full attention. 'About that…'

'Sky, seriously!' Dove sits upright and glares at him.

I look between them and I start to feel like a real moron. 'Oh.' I'm blushing, I know I'm blushing. 'So… you two…'

Sky is as red as I am. 'I couldn't think of a better way to tell him!' he protests to Dove. Oh god. It's so obvious in hindsight. This is so embarrassing.

'It's cool, man, it's cool.' I wave my hands to show them how cool it is. 'I just – honestly, I feel like an idiot for not realising.' I clear my throat. 'So you guys were together at Marker?'

Sky nods. 'Becoming partners here was a fluke, though. We found each other in the forest by accident. After all, I hate to say it, but we aren't really good fighting partners.'

I take a moment to ponder the allegedly-random partnering system that somehow stocked a full team and a half with romantic couples, even if the males of JNPR are too thick to realise their redheads have eyes for them. 'Seriously, man, I don't mind. Just sort of took me by surprise, you know?'

Sky looks relieved. 'I don't want to make it weird, but you were the only one who didn't know.'

'Bull _shit_ Cardin realised before I did,' I begin. Cardin is many things, but more aware than I am of the nuances of the personalities around him is not one of them.

'He went to school with us, dumbass,' Dove reminds me.

'Crap, it's not my day today.' I stretch. 'Well, that's fun. You guys ever want the room, I'll take Cardin for a walk or something. Take a Frisbee, go to the park…'

Dove bursts out laughing. 'Dude, why do you think Cardin keeps inviting you to spend an hour at the gym with him?'

I begin to laugh too. 'That dick!' I have to revise my estimation of Cardin. I never even guessed. He's more subtle than I give him credit for.

'That's kind of the point,' Dove begins.

I hold up my hands. 'Ok, ok, dude, don't need a picture.' I pause. 'Unless Sky has a better ass than Xiao Long, in which case–'

'It's pretty good,' Dove says in a confidential tone.

'Why don't you ask Yang out?' Sky asks me. 'She's not seeing anyone.'

I shrug. 'I'm not _that_ into her. She's hot, but that's about it.'

'This is true,' Dove agreed. 'She's pretty damn hot.'

'For some reason I don't think you're qualified to comment on that anymore,' I tell him.

'I'm gay, not _dead_.'

I laugh. 'Fair point. Whatever, Xiao Long's hot but she's got too much baggage.'

'The sister?' Sky says.

'The sister,' I agree. 'A fifteen-year-old chaperone is an automatic boner-killer. Plus…' I hesitate. 'She's… maybe not the only one with baggage.'

Dove looks up. 'What do you mean?'

I reach under my pillow and pull the picture out. Without looking at it, I pass it to Dove.

Violet really was her name. People didn't believe it, not with eyes like hers, but she had the same eyes as her father. They ran in the family. In every other way, though, she looked like her mother: tall, slender, with sleek brown hair and thick dark eyelashes and a mouth that was made to smile.

She never did, though. Not after a while. We were together for four years. I should have seen it. I should have realised when she stopped smiling. I should have been – better.

'–even listening to me?' Dove actually reaches out and shakes me.

I snap back to attention. 'What?'

They exchange confused glances, then Sky hands the photo back. 'Who's this?'

'Her name was Violet,' I say eventually, taking my time folding the photo.

'What happened to her?' Dove asks. He's picked up on the past tense.

I snort. 'I carry around a photo and didn't tell you about her for six months. The fuck do you think happened to her?'

'I'm sorry,' Sky says quietly.

'Whatever. Shit happens.' I stare up at the ceiling. 'I probably should have told Cardin before I told you guys.'

Sky and Dove exchange glances and decide not to comment. But I've made up my mind. I feel better that they know. It was easier than I thought. Not like a weight has been lifted off me, but like there's someone there to help me hold it. Plus, keeping secrets from your partner is just a dick move.

'I'm going to find him,' I announce. I slid the photo under my spaulder. Sky gives me a smile of encouragement.

I check the gym, the training hall and the library before I think of the dining hall. When I get there, I wish I hadn't remembered: Cardin's picked a fight with Arc again. First time in a few months, but at least he's consistent.

' 'Sup,' I say laconically as I approach the table. I'm just in time; it looks like the only thing stopping Valkyrie from breaking Cardin's legs is the fact that she hasn't finished inhaling her lunch. Also Lie Ren, but whatever. I catch Cardin's eyes and jerk my head at the door.

'We're not done here!' Arc yells. I wonder what Cardin did to make him this angry.

'Not my problem,' I say coldly. I still haven't forgiven him for sneaking into Beacon. I'm not sure I ever will. Not until he gets good enough that he could have gotten in on his own, I imagine.

'Going to run away again?' Xiao Long mutters under her breath.

I cock my eyebrow at her. 'Shouldn't you be washing your hair?'

She flushes angrily and rises to her feet, but the crack about running away got to Cardin more than it did me. He sneers at them. 'Let's leave these losers.' And he grabs my spaulder to tug me away.

The photo slips free and lands face up on the floor. I see it out of the corner of my eye and turn, but Belladonna has already bent to pick it up. She starts to look at it.

' _Give it back_.' I don't recognise my voice. Fear and rage mix together to form something more monstrous than any Grimm-sound. Teams RWBY and JNPR rise to their feet, hands going to their weapons. Belladonna starts to frown, but then Rose plucks the photo from her hands and passes it to me, concern and confusion on her face. Cardin is looking at me like I've turned into an Ursa right in the middle of the dining room.

I need to calm down. 'Thanks,' I mutter, trying to loosen my grip so I don't crush it.

'What's going on?' Cardin asks quietly.

I can't look at Belladonna. I'm afraid of what will happen if I do. I jerk my head in her general direction instead. 'None of their fucking business.' And then I walk away, because I'm finding it hard to breathe under the weight of their eyes and the pressure of my own memories. Cardin trails behind me, looking so confused it's almost funny.

Outside the door I stop to examine the photo. Cardin is so thoroughly spooked that he doesn't even comment.

It hasn't torn further, thank god. It's creased right down the middle, but it's still clear: me and Violet, in the shade of an oak tree. My arm around her shoulder, hers around my waist. We're both smiling.

God, we were young. Young and stupid. The photo's faded, now. The colours are disappearing. The green that used to be emerald is jade, and the smile on Violet's face is almost invisible.

I hate metaphors.

The door opens and RWBY and JNPR leave the dining hall. They're startled to find me outside. Cardin and I start walking almost immediately, but I know what they've seen: me, standing in the middle of the walkway, staring at the photo. It's pathetic.

I wonder if they noticed the tail.

* * *

'Ok,' Cardin says when we reach the dorm room. 'What the hell just happened?' Sky and Dove look up.

'I haven't told him yet,' I mutter to them. I cross the room so I can look out the window instead of at them.

'You guys know something?' Cardin crosses his arm. 'Do you know what made him just freak out in the middle of the dining hall?'

'What happened?' Sky asks, sitting upright.

'Dropped the photo,' I mutter. I can't speak up. The thought of how close I came to losing the photo is making my chest tight with panic. I need a moment to put myself together.

'What photo?' Cardin says. He's getting angry. He always does when there's something he doesn't understand.

I turn and hold it out for him to see. I don't let him take it; I can't bear to let it go again. 'My last girlfriend,' I manage to get out. 'These guys already know – I only just told them, though.'

'Violet?' Cardin asks.

I jolt. 'How d'you–'

'You were doodling a couple of months ago.' He grins. 'The flowers caught my attention. So what happened with her? Bad breakup?'

I lean against the wall, staring down at my folded arms. 'She lived outside the kingdom. On the holidays, we'd go to her settlement to visit her family. Then – she just–' Crap, I'm welling up again. I turn and stride to the window so nobody can see it. 'She killed herself.'

'Oh _fuck._ I'm sorry,' Cardin says softly, the shock clear in his voice. I see Dove and Sky stiffen out of the corner of my eye, and a part of me is glad because it means Cardin can see I wasn't keeping everything from him alone. 'Were – were you around?'

'I was _there_ ,' I say. I lean my head against the glass. 'We were fighting Ursai...'

I can still see it, too. It was a pack of three. I had killed one, and the village defenders had killed the second. The third was holding Violet at bay. She had scaled a cliff – she was _safe_ , there was no way it could reach her. I was across the clearing, with my blades ready, waiting for her to see me and make a move so that I knew how she wanted to play it. And Violet had looked over, and she hadn't seen me, and she had dropped her weapons and stepped off the ledge.

I can't look at them when I finish. All I can do is stare out at the sky and wait for it to stop swimming. There's total silence behind me. Nobody knows what to say.

'She didn't see me,' I say. 'I mean, she looked, but I was – I was behind a bush. She didn't know that I was there.'

'I'm so sorry,' Cardin repeats.

'Whatever, man. It was nobody's fault.' I tell myself that every day. I think it's safe. I turn and shrug at them. 'Shit happens, y'know?'

They exchange shocked looks.

'That's all you have to say?' Sky asks, trying not to sound judgemental.

'Well, I don't have enough hair to braid, so unless you wanna start painting my nails, yeah, it is,' I say with deep sarcasm.

'He found out Sky and I are gay, so apparently we're into that now,' Dove tells Cardin.

'Oh, bullshit,' I say, wheeling around. I'm glad. Fighting with Dove means I'm not fighting with myself. 'You two being gay doesn't change anything. You're still an immature prick.'

'And you still sound like you're chewing lead when you speak,' Dove retorts, grinning. 'At least mine is getting better over time.'

That's what my foster-parents told me when I said I wanted to leave Vacuo. Stay. It'll get better over time. 'Yeah,' I say bleakly, my moods dropping like it's been pushed off a cliff. 'I've heard that before.'

I leave the room before they can stop me and I pray that they don't follow me out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

I have nowhere to go. Everywhere, there's the chance I'll run into someone I know. RWBY uses the library in their free time; Nikos and Arc have laid claim to the roof above our dormitories; and CFVY haunts the training rooms like the restless dead.

I finally end up on the cliffs above the forest where they threw us away on our first day, lying on the grass, staring up at the stars. These aren't the stars I'm used to. Why did I come here? I thought I could leave it behind, that's why. I thought I could forget.

I've been there for five minutes when I hear footsteps and the distinctive muted clanking of Cardin's armour behind me. We're really screwed if we ever need to be stealthy. He comes, and sits down beside me, then to my surprise I hear him start to unbuckle his armour. Then he lies back and it's just the sound of our breathing. I start to gather my irritation to throw at him as a counter to whatever he has to say, but he doesn't say anything. After a moment, I lose my grip on my anger and it runs away from me.

For almost an hour, we stay there in total silence. It's an experience of perfect stillness. I expect him to get bored, but he doesn't shift, or fidget, or say a word. His breathing is so deep and even that eventually I take a peek at him, just to make sure he's still awake. He's piled his armour up and leaned back against it and his eyes are reflecting the starlight above. The world has crystallised around us, blocking out time itself. It's a moment that feels like it has no beginning and no end: just us, lying on the grass, staring up at the stars.

'You know people used to tell stories about the stars?' I say finally. I don't feel like I'm breaking the spell. I feel like my words will hang here, even after I'm gone, so that someone who comes along and knows how to hear them will hear what I have to say, in years to come. That is eternity.

'No.'

'Yeah. Not in cities, in places where there weren't roads. Where they actually used the stars to travel by.'

'Do you know any?'

'No. Violet did.' It feels right to be talking about her out here. In our room, full of colour and energy and life, it didn't feel right. Out here, it's just the stars above us. They're the only pinpricks of light in the darkness. It feels right to be looking at them as I talk about her.

'You said she grew up in a settlement.' Cardin's voice is so natural. I marvel at it for a moment.

'You know what's weird?' I say. 'I don't want to talk about Violet.'

'I'm sorry, I–'

'No, I wasn't being sarcastic.' Though I guess since I do basically have one tone of voice he can be forgiven for thinking I was. 'But that's the reason I came here. I lied to you guys, that first day. I came here because if I was here, I could pretend that she was still alive.'

I take a moment to try to organise my thoughts, but then I realise that that's the problem. In organizing my thoughts, I select them, I examine them, I prune and clip and choose until what's come out isn't even what I wanted to say. This isn't intellect, or only barely. This is emotion and memory. I can't organise this.

'Right after it happened,' I say, 'I couldn't bring myself to talk about her. I couldn't stand it. I didn't want to talk about her to anyone. People would approach me to see if I was ok, and I would just brush them off. Sometimes I would actually change direction. Because if they weren't asking me if I was ok with her death, I could pretend it hadn't even happened. That's when I decided to come here. _Nobody_ knew about her. I could pretend she was still here, just not _here._ '

Cardin doesn't say anything.

'Then I started picking fights. I'd spar with people, and I'd take it too far, or I'd get frustrated at nothing at all and lose my mind. It was like I was on fire, and all these people were around me, but they were too dumb to realise I needed water. I got my ass kicked a couple of times.'

'I know the feeling,' Cardin says quietly.

This is too serious to pretend he's talking about getting his ass kicked, though for a moment I'm sorely tempted. 'Do you?'

'Yeah. It isn't comfortable.'

That's actually the perfect word to describe it, that sense of itching, constant rage. 'I don't know how you dealt with it. I just kept beating people up or getting my ass handed to me. Eventually I thought that maybe if I became a better fighter, I would get Violet back. Like a reward, you know? It was – dumb. She was gone, she was never coming back, but I couldn't help but think that there was someone out there I could bargain with, someone out there who could bring her back. We've got people with Semblances who can blow things up with their mind, why wasn't there someone out there who could bring her back. That shit. So I'd become a great Hunter and find them. I ended up convincing myself that Beacon would be different, that it was full of people who were better than Recluse and Solitaire. It's the best of the best, you know? It would have people who were better.

'Then I met you guys.' I sigh. 'No offence. You guys were normal. You were fine. But you were just like all the other jocks back at Recluse. You were all interested in fighting and being in charge and being immature idiots and pulling pranks and – it was like everything was crumbling. I couldn't even care. Everything was gone. So that's why I've been a grumpy asshole. I couldn't imagine anything getting better. Except…It kind of has.'

We lie there in silence for five minutes before Cardin clears his throat. 'You're saying things have gotten better?'

'Yeah, man. I woke up happy the other day, actually happy, and it felt _wrong,_ and I realised it's because for the first time since I got here, being happy didn't make me feel guilty. And it was such a _relief_. I don't want to talk about Violet anymore. She's dead, and I'll never know why, and – you know what I just realised? I'm bored with being sad that she's dead. I still love her, and I'm going to miss her forever and part of me is always going to wonder about her, and about what I could have done and about what we could have been, but another part of me just _wants_ to be happy. I just want to wake up one day without feeling like I'm weighed down. Being how I was is – it's fucking exhausting. I can't do it anymore. And – I think I'm ok with that. I think that's me telling myself that it's ok to move on.'

'You've accepted it.'

'Yeah, kind of. More I've realised that I'm not a bad person for accepting it.' I breathe out, a long, slow exhale. 'Thanks, man.'

'For what?' He sounds genuinely surprised and a surge of warmth rises in my chest.

'For listening, you moron.' I hear him chuckle and I add, 'Seriously, thanks.'

It's getting cold but neither of us moves. There's more to be said here, and not all by me.

'I don't–' he begins, then trails off. 'It's not like… Fuck.'

'Just roll with it,' I advise. 'I'm not going to tell you you're using the wrong words, man.'

He exhales. 'I don't even have anything wrong, though. I mean, not like you. Nobody ever died.'

'So that means you've never been sad?' I ask. 'There's no sliding scale of shitty things, not when you're experiencing them. Everything feels pretty shitty when it's happening to you.'

Cardin laughs bitterly. 'But that's the _thing._ Nothing ever happened to me. It's all just – it's all just _people._ I mean, I hear stories like yours, and I think – nothing like that ever happened to me. There's no one thing I can point to. How can I say that I haven't been happy?'

'Have you?'

I worry that I said it too bluntly. Cardin doesn't reply for almost three full minutes. Then, finally, with an air of surprise, he says, 'No.'

This time I stay quiet. Cardin responds best to direct pressures, but there are exceptions to every rule and this is one of them.

'I am so, so scared,' he says quietly, 'of turning out like my father.'

I feel my ears prick up. Cardin doesn't talk about his family, but none of us really do. It just doesn't come up. I think Dove and Sky might know more about each other's families – which makes a lot more sense, actually, now that I know they're a couple – but that's just an impression. Now I wonder if Cardin and I aren't the only ones who are carrying baggage.

'He's a powerful man, in a sort of quiet way,' Cardin says. 'He owns stores. Shops. I think Dove's mum might work for him, in fact, or lease from him, or get her supplies from him, or something. He owns chains of stores. One of his party tricks is talking to people who don't know him. They'll underestimate him, and condescend to him, and then he'll arrange for someone to go and tell them who they were talking to, just to see the looks on their faces. And then he'll do – something. Something to get back at them. Usually something to destroy them. He's got so much power. Everywhere. He's – immense.'

He takes a deep breath. 'He's also just – such a bastard.'

'You can't have any power around him. He won't allow it. It's not enough for him to be the strongest – he has to be the _only one._ You can't make anything or build anything for yourself, because he'll crush it, and then he'll dole out the crumbs back to you.

'My father has so much power,' Cardin said. 'But he gets it from taking it from other people. He'll make the decisions for you, he won't advise, he'll just – take over completely. My mother left when I was ten. She was the only one who ever won against him. He tried to get her committed to a mental asylum for five years for it. I don't know where she is now. She had to go into hiding to get away from him. I think he's still looking. My stepmother doesn't care. That's who she is. And I'm afraid that he's who I'm turning into – because how else do you get strong? I don't know how to get strong without making everyone around me weak. I push people around without even thinking about it, then I realise what I've done, but by then it's too late. And - that's my Semblance. My Semblance attacks people so that I have the advantage. It doesn't give me anything, it takes away from everyone else. What does that even say about me, that that's who I am?'

'You won't turn into your dad,' I say with certainty.

'You don't know that.'

'You do. You're aware of this, man, you're fighting it. You're already not like your dad.'

'You can't know that!' he yelled in sudden anger.

'Yeah, I can,' I say, keeping calm. 'You think your dad would have come out here to freeze his ass off for some mopey idiot? You think your dad would have let me talk for ten minutes straight? You shouldn't be afraid of turning into your dad. I mean, if nothing else, you've got your mum.'

'No I don't, I don't know where she is–'

'But you know _that_ she is. You're so afraid of his blood, remember hers. She beat him, you said so yourself, and she did it without hurting him. You've done the same thing, man. You're here. Anything you build here, everyone will know you built yourself. Your dad has nothing to do with you being a Hunter. That's all you. That's how you'll beat him: by doing what you want to do and doing it well.'

'But I'm not even a good Hunter,' Cardin says bitterly.

'Bullshit,' I say with spirit. 'You got in, didn't you? You wipe the floor with everyone you go up against, except Pyrrha Nikos, who, hot tip, _nobody_ has beaten. You're a great Hunter, and you're gonna get better. You can train for that. And you can train to be a better person, too, man. I'll help,' I add impulsively.

He looks at me with real gratitude on his face. 'Thanks, man.'

We don't lie back again this time. We've said what needs to be said. We get to our feet and walk back to the school, carrying Cardin's armour between us. As we enter the doors, we pass Ozpin, walking down a corridor with Goodwitch in tow. He gives us a knowing smile and doesn't stop to talk.

'Bloody hell,' I mutter. 'Does he have this place bugged?'

'Hmm?' Cardin asks, juggling his greaves and his breastplate.

I tell him about the conversation Ozpin and I had, when he revealed what my headmistress had told him. As I finish my story, Cardin stops dead. 'He did the same thing with me when I lost my temper with Dove in our room a couple of weeks ago,' he says in an odd voice.

We stand there and stare at each other.

'Bloody hell,' I say again. 'I'm checking the room for cameras when we get back.'

'I'll help.'


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Dove and Sky are camped out where we left them when Cardin and I slip back into our room. It's late; they should be in bed, but there's no indication of any inclination towards going to sleep on their part. They've been waiting for us. I feel a warm buzz in my chest, as well as a tiny stab of guilt, since "waiting for Cardin and me to sort our shit out" basically sums up Dove and Sky's experience at Beacon so far.

'Sorry for bailing,' I say sheepishly.

Dove waves a hand. 'No worries, man. You alright?'

'Yeah. Much better.' I slump back on my bed. 'Uh… you and Sky want to hear what I had to say? Or are you cool?'

Dove and Sky exchange shrugs. 'We're fine,' Sky decides. 'We got all we needed to get.'

'Although, I was wondering,' Dove says slowly.

'Yeah?'

'Uh… did Violet have a tail?'

I snort with laughter. That had actually completely slipped my mind. 'Didn't I mention? She was Faunus.' I pull the photo out and pass it to him again. It's getting easier and easier to let it out of my grasp. There, in the right-hand bottom corner, looking like a belt unless you looked closely, was Violet's long, soft brown tail, wrapped around my hips, anchoring me to her.

'You dated a _Faunus_?' Cardin blurts.

'For almost four years,' I say, keeping my voice even with a considerable effort.

Cardin blinks, but keeps his mouth shut. Sky is glaring at Dove, who has to be deliberately ignoring him. Nobody could miss that sort of death-glare. I wonder if I should mention that Belladonna is a Faunus. Surely I can't have been the only one to realise by now?

'She never tried to hide it,' I say, cautiously feeling out the water. 'I mean, she could have kept her tail wrapped around her waist, or something, but she was fine with letting it show.'

'Should she not have been?' Sky asks. 'I mean, did anyone in Vacuo care that she was a Faunus?'

'Not really,' I say with a shrug. 'We both got a lot of shit for dating, though.' I give Cardin a side-long look and am relieved to see he's looking a little ashamed of himself. It's a lot easier to talk about Violet when she's not the point of the conversation. 'There was a bunch of other Faunus at Recluse, so people thought she should have dated one of them. One Faunus, he actually did hide his claws for a year, then made a big reveal, trying to say that people started to dislike him because he was a Faunus. The idiot didn't realise that people started to dislike him because he lied to them purely so that he could set them up to later say they were racist against him.'

'That's warped,' Cardin says.

'Yeah,' I agree. 'I thought it was kind of impressive that he managed to hide his claws for a year though.' Hmm, maybe none of them _have_ noticed.

'It would be easier to hide claws than anything else,' Dove says. 'I mean, can you imagine trying to hide ears?'

Huh. I do _not_ give Dove enough credit. I meet his eyes and he grins at me. 'Yeah, that'd be difficult,' I say, grinning back. 'I mean, they're right there in front of everyone.'

'And they'd keep moving, and twitching, and you'd want to scratch them,' he agrees.

Ha! So he did notice Belladonna's involuntary movements towards her head, and her 'itchy scalp'. Ha and ha again!

* * *

We can't keep going without revealing more to Sky and Cardin, but the next day Dove and I conspire to go and borrow some books from the library. In the stacks, we take one look at each other and burst out laughing. 'Oh my God!' I sputter, keeping my voice down. 'Oh my actual God. _How? How_ have they not _noticed_?'

Dove slides to the ground, clutching his ribs. 'Oh man. Well, Cardin is a moron,' he whispers, 'And Sky is only book-smart, bless 'em both.'

'Oh wow. Ok. They are officially both idiots.' I pull him to his feet and we start searching for the books that were our excuse to come out here.

'To be fair,' Dove continues, 'I only put it together after she and Nikos tag-teamed Cardin a couple of months ago.'

'When Oobleck made him write that essay?'

'Yeah. Nikos was pissed at Cardin on Arc's behalf, but Belladonna seemed too pissed, you know? Like, at that point she didn't have much to do with JNPR, so why was she so up in arms about it?'

'Yeah, makes sense,' I say.

'And then after that it just became really, really obvious. How'd you guess?'

'Dude. She has _ears_. I didn't have to guess at all. Though, maybe it was that I'm used to spending time with Faunus,' I admit.

'Heh, yeah. Ok, makes sense.' He grabs a book then we start walking back to the dorm. 'So what are you gonna do?'

'Huh?' I ask, startled.

'I mean, from what Sky and I got out of Cardin, you came here because you were upset about Violet, right?'

'Yeah, I was being _so_ unreasonable,' I reply, nettled.

'Chill, man! I'm not saying you did the wrong thing. But are you going to go back to Vacuo? 'Cause Cardin is kind of scared that you will. He wanted me and Sky to find out, anyway.'

'What?' I stop dead.

Dove sighs and rolls his eyes. 'Look, the way you tell it you came here for no other reason than you were sad, right? Are you still that sad?'

'The phrase you're looking for is emotional wreck, and no. I'm not.' I grin, despite myself. It's really, really nice to be able to say that.

'Ok, cool, so are you going back to Vacuo?'

'Are you kidding? Beacon is still the best academy in the world, pretty much.' I start walking again. 'How come Cardin hasn't asked me this himself?'

'Abandonment issues,' Dove says knowledgably.

I raise my eyebrows at him. 'You're kidding.'

'Nope. Don't get angry, but Sky and I were kind of concerned you might have PES, so we–'

'Wait, WHAT?' I say, stopping again.

'After the Ursa, Sky was listing off PES symptoms, remember?'

'Yeah,' I say.

'Dude. You had them all. Mood swings, fatigue, depression, I don't even remember the rest. We went to the library and started to dig through psychology books. They pretty much could have stuck your face on a pinboard and used you as a checklist.'

'I was _grieving_ ,' I sputter.

Dove shrugs. 'Well, we know that _now._ At the time we were kind of worried you were gonna have some psychotic break on us. I was honestly ready to hit you over the head if I had to.'

'Your sensitivity is staggering.' I shake my head and start walking again. 'Who automatically assumes that their roommate is crazy?'

Dove raises an eyebrow at me and I remember where we actually are. 'Never mind,' I sigh. 'What were you saying about Cardin?'

'Oh yeah. Abandonment issues. He's totally got them.'

'You know, since you diagnosed me with PES, I'm going to need a little more.'

'Fine.' He grabs my arm and uses his greater weight to tow me back towards the library, despite my protests. 'You said you needed more,' he says, pulling me through the door.

'Yeah, but I've actually got stuff to do!' I snarl quietly, following him into the stacks. At least he's let go of my arm. I rub it sullenly, knowing I'm acting like a petulant child.

'You guys never believe me,' Dove say, a surprising note of anger in his voice. 'I'm serious, man, Cardin has all the signs.' He grabs a book, pulls it open, checks the index then flips to a page. The chapter heading is "Abandonment in Relation to Children". 'Listen to this: "children suffering from abandonment stress may display undesirable characteristics later in life, including feeling at a loss, insecure, rejection and self-esteem issues that frequently expresses as anti-social behaviours including bullying. They feel socially inadequate, avoid social interactions and possess an extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation. They will overreact to these perceived slights in an unhealthy manner, which will contribute to their inability to maintain healthy, communicative relationships."'

'Dove, you're saying this to his _partner_ ,' I say impatiently.

'So your relationship is totally normal and communicative, huh?' he says cynically.

I open my mouth, then close it again slowly. 'That's _one_ ,' I say, crossing my arms.

'Right.' He checks the page. 'Bullying. That's a no-brainer. Socially inadequate. He doesn't hang out with anyone but us, you know?'

'None of us hang out with anyone but us,' I say. We should probably do something about that, in fact.

'So you agree it applies. Avoid social interactions, same thing, anti-social behaviour, same thing, possesses an extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation.' He shuts the book and looks at me. 'You've got to admit, he's got a real problem being told he's wrong.'

'Nobody likes being told they're–'

'Rapier wasps.'

'Shit,' I mutter. There was really nothing I could say to that.

'See?' he asks. 'I know his mum ran off when he was little. I think that fucked him up more than he's–'

'Shut up!' I hiss, hearing footsteps. A moment later Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose round the corner, and seeing us, stop dead.

'Hey,' Dove says, nodding at them.

Weiss makes a little _hmph_ -ing noise, crosses her arms, and turns away. Rose looks around awkwardly. 'Oh. Hi, guys. Uh… what are you doing here?'

'Well, it's a library,' I say, 'so clearly we came in here to grab something to eat.'

It's a weak joke, but Rose grins anyway.

'So you guys decided to stay over the break?' Dove asks. The break between first and second semesters is two weeks long; in theory, just enough time to duck out, see the family, and come back for second semester. We're only a couple of days into the first week, and I'm enjoying it immensely – even if I am suddenly struck by the realisation that I've somehow managed to get myself stuck in the library. I need to wrap this conversation up so we can get back out into the sunshine.

'Yep,' Rose says chipperly. 'We decided to stay behind and keep working on our combat skills.'

'Nerd,' I say with a grin to show I don't mean it. Weiss glares at me and I resist the urge to roll my eyes at her.

'What about your team?' Rose asks. 'You aren't going anywhere?'

'Probably not,' I say, remembering that nobody outside my team knows I don't have family to get back to.

'Sky and Cardin and I have family in the city,' Dove says, neatly skirting the fact that all three of them have yet to actually go and pay a visit to said families.

Weiss glances at what Dove's holding. 'Why are you researching abnormal psychology?'

'We're trying to see if we can work out how to get on Oobleck's good side,' I say casually. 'Why are you guys researching…' I squint at Rose's arms. 'Weapons construction and maintenance. Never mind, that actually makes sense. You're adding more guns to your scythe?'

Rose grins. 'You say that like it's a bad thing.'

'Doesn't it already have one?' Dove asks.

'I'm researching firing mechanisms,' she says enthusiastically. 'I want to see if I can double the rate of fire without increasing the uncontrolled recoil to a proportionate amount when it's in–'

'Ok, that's enough,' Schnee says impatiently. Rose and Dove both look like kicked puppies, but she's apparently made up her mind. 'Ruby, we're running late and we have a busy day tomorrow.'

'Ok,' Dove says sadly. 'Hey, tell me what you decide, though,' he adds enthusiastically to Rose. 'I want to know how you overcome the–'

'Bye!' Rose calls as Schnee drags her away with a huff.

'What were you even talking about?' I ask.

'It's a gun thing,' Dove says. 'You're not really into them, are you?'

I grin. 'They make it too easy.'

'I was enjoying that. Schnee's such a bitch,' Dove mutters.

'Maybe you need to get to know her,' I suggest with a completely straight face. We look at each other and break into grins at the same time.

'Nah,' Dove says casually. 'She's just a spoiled princess.'

'Why is she even a Huntress?' I demand. 'I mean, you can't tell me she needs the money.'

'Why are any of us Hunters?' Dove says philosophically.

'Well, I'm an adrenaline-junkie who wants to get paid for it,' I say dryly. 'You?'

Dove doesn't answer for a couple of minutes and I realise he took me seriously. 'I want to help people,' he says in an intense voice. 'I actually want to save some people.'

'You will,' I say with complete certainty. 'I have faith in you, man.'

He looks at me and I can tell he's genuinely touched. 'This is getting sappy,' he says.

'Hey, you started it,' I say, holding my hands up. 'So what does that mean? What do you have?'

'Probably an identity crisis,' Dove says confidently. 'Since everyone keeps telling me I'm not a fourteen-year-old girl and refusing to braid my hair.'

I burst out laughing and get dirty looks from everyone in the library. Rose and Schnee are nowhere to be seen as Dove steers me, still laughing, out the front door.

I really don't give him enough credit.

* * *

I can see what he means, when I get back to the dorm. Cardin looks glad to see me but a moment later he's staring down at his work like it's the most important thing in the world to him. This is silly. I walk over, kick the desk to get his attention, and tell him, 'We need to start talking to each other more.'

' _Dove_ ,' Sky groans.

'Hey, I agree with him,' Dove says. 'Using each other as go-betweens is only going to backfire.'

'I guess you're right,' Cardin says, standing. 'Ok, new rule: from now on, if you have something to say to someone, you say it. And nobody can get offended. Not from the opening, at least. Someone says something, you have to give them a fair answer. Anything after that is fair game, though.'

'Sounds good,' I say with deep approval.

'Dove, you're a dick,' Cardin says, turning to him.

Dove shrugs. 'Doesn't mean I wasn't right.'

'Still a dick,' Cardin says tightly.

'Fair game!' Dove yells, pointing an accusing finger at Cardin. 'Fair game!'

Sky and I hurl pillows at Dove's head at the same time. He falls over with a grunt. I turn to Cardin. 'I'm not leaving Vale, man.'

'Good,' Cardin says, and an amount of tension I didn't even notice flows from his shoulders.

'Weird as it is,' I say, glancing around the room. 'I kind of like it here.'

 **The 'busy day' that Weiss refers to is the morning of the episode of** ** _The Stray_** **, just to establish a timeline. They never really establish when the first semester finishes, and when the second starts; Ruby mentions it having been a good two weeks, but that's about it, so I'm going to say that the events of** ** _The Stray_** **took place towards the middle of the break, as it would make sense that students would start arriving for the second semester a week or so later, which seems to be the case with Sun and Neptune. Sun just arrived in an… unorthodox manner, a little while before Neptune.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

 **And now, for something completely different...**

Three days later, Dove takes a call from home and returns looking surprisingly sheepish.

'So – you guys are invited to dinner, if you want,' he tells us.

We look up. 'Invited by who?' Cardin asks in surprise.

'My mum.' He looks incredibly embarrassed. Sky is starting to grin. 'She rang and wanted to know why I hadn't come home. I told her I was hanging out with you guys, since you were all here for the break. So… you're all invited to dinner tonight.'

'That's nice of her,' Sky says.

'No pressure,' Dove adds.

'What, do you not want us to meet your family?' I say, raising an eyebrow.

'Well, you haven't done anything to piss me off lately, so I'd feel kind of bad inflicting them on you,' Dove says with a grin. I can tell he's not entirely kidding though.

'What's wrong with your family?' Cardin asks, startled.

'Nothing's wrong with his family,' Sky says firmly.

'Yeah, except there's six of us and I'm the oldest,' Dove says, rolling his eyes. 'So, yeah, you guys want to hang out with a bunch of kids, you're totally welcome.'

'Don't listen to him, he loves them to death,' Sky says to us.

'Good choice of words,' Dove says grimly.

'If your mum invited us, it can't be that bad,' I say cautiously.

'I'll put that on your tombstone,' Dove says morosely.

'Don't be an idiot,' Sky says. 'They'll be fine.'

'Ok, fine!' He throws his hands up in the air. 'I told her if she doesn't hear from me we're all coming. So… dinner tonight.'

'Should we bring something?' I ask doubtfully. I don't get invited to dinner very much, as a rule.

'Nah, she'll have tonnes of food,' Dove says.

'Wine?' I ask, racking my memory.

'Flowers,' Cardin suggests. 'We can pick those up on the way in.'

'She'll love that,' Dove says with a grin.

'Your mum is a shopkeeper, isn't she?' I ask.

'Yep. She runs a clothing store on the main strip. Super expensive, but women still buy them, so…' Dove shrugs.

'I think the people who run the armour shops probably think the same,' I say. Cardin told me how much his armour cost once, and I almost choked. The scholarship I'm on doesn't include a huge amount of spending money, but what Cardin paid for one suit of armour was still almost double that.

'Armouries,' Cardin says, rolling his eyes.

'Whatever,' I say. 'It's still more trouble than it's worth.'

'It protects you in battle,' Cardin says.

Dove and Sky exchange exasperated looks. This is not the first time we've all had this discussion.

'If you're using your Aura right you shouldn't need it,' I persist. 'It's heavy and noisy and if you're burning Aura to carry it, then what's the point?'

'It allows you to focus on your weapon,' Dove says.

'And everyone without armour still manages to focus on their weapon _and_ their Aura,' I say.

'It's not heavy if you're used to it, and it's double the protection,' Cardin says. 'I took a direct hit from an Ursa in my armour and I was fine.'

'I don't get hit because I'm not slowed down by armour,' I say smugly.

'Yeah, but we don't need to cartwheel to get enough weight for a good impact,' Dove says.

'So we can agree it's a matter of fighting style,' Sky says, sick to death of the entire thing. 'Russel's style is minimal durability, maximal speed that leads to maximal power. Ours is maximal durability for maximal power and minimal speed.'

He's right. I'm not really very strong, but I'm quick on my feet, and I have good stamina – I can outlast almost anyone. But if I get hit directly it can be a serious problem for me. And without the weight of armour, I do need a lot of momentum to equal any real amount of force, but that's why I use blades, and keep them sharp enough to cut a falling feather from the air. I'm also hell to actually land a hit on. My defence can be as shit as I like, it doesn't mean anything if I don't get hit.

'I still say I've got the right idea,' I say, leaning back.

'Yeah, until someone knocks all your teeth out,' Dove comments.

* * *

The city is surprisingly alive at night: people fill the restaurants, shoppers have claimed the footpath as their own and police are prowling around glaring at people like they're looking for some sort of hostility award.

'Should I be worried about all the cops?' I ask Dove quietly.

'You know about the Dust robberies, don't you?' Dove asks, startled. 'Cops have been camping out for weeks.'

'Have they caught anyone?' Cardin asks.

'Nope.'

I don't really feel reassured by this. This might be my paranoia talking, but I can't help but think that police who are publicly failing to catch criminals might want to strive to publicly catch a criminal, or even publicly pull in someone who looks like they might be contemplating a criminal act at some point in their life, and unfortunately my hair has a tendency to slot me into that category. Still, Dove, Sky and Cardin are strolling along like they own the joint, so I just keep up with them and don't make eye contact.

Dove leads us off the main strip and down a narrow lane, then rings a doorbell beside a door halfway down the lane. I flinch as a bell clangs loudly overhead. 'Holy hell.'

Dove grins at me. 'You ain't seen nothin' yet…'

For a moment I wonder if I'm hearing thunder, then I realise it's feet – two, no, three pairs, thudding down some stairs behind the door. They fall silent, and a young voice calls, 'Who is it?'

'Dove,' Dove calls.

'Ew, I don't want to let you in.'

Sky laughs. 'What about me, Olive? Do I get to come in?'

'Sky! Sky, Sky, Sky!' The door clicks open and a girl throws herself out at Sky, wrapping herself around his leg. Dove rolls his eyes and shoves his way past. Sky grins and stomps inside with Olive still stuck to him.

We follow them in to find ourselves in a narrow little hallway. To one side is a flight of dark wooden stairs. The hallways stretches down to a door that I imagine leads into the shop itself. There are two other children: a boy of about twelve and one of about ten. They're both talking to Dove at the same time Olive is talking at Sky. Now that she's in the light I can see that Olive is a girl, maybe seven years old.

'Ok, ok!' Dove yells, cutting over the noise. 'Come on, guys, let's go up!'

Sky scoops Olive up and begins to climb the stairs, holding her upside down. We follow them. I'm already relaxing, despite Olive's ear-splitting shrieks of glee: this place feels like some of the better foster-homes I've been in. Cardin, on the other hand, is looking thoroughly disconcerted.

We come onto the landing. It's open-plan, and surprisingly large: to the right is an area corralled in by couches, next to it is a dining room that's identifiable mainly by a huge table, and straight ahead of us is the kitchen. To the right is a hallway that must lead to bedrooms.

A woman steps out of the kitchen and I almost do a double-take. She looks like Dove in a wig. They share the exact same features and colouring, but the strangest part is that she doesn't look masculine at all, and Dove doesn't look feminine. Somehow their faces have transcended gender.

'Hello!' she says, hurrying forwards and giving Dove a hug. 'There you are! And Sky!' She gives him a hug too, then turns to me and Cardin. 'Now, you must be Cardin, I think?' she says to him. 'You look just like your father. And you must be Russel.'

'Nice to meet you,' I say.

'What a wonderful accent!' she says. 'You're from Vacuo, aren't you, Dove told me all about you–' I shoot Dove a narrow look, but he's shaking his head behind her back – 'and how do you like Vale?'

'It's a lot colder than I'm used to,' I say. 'Beacon is a great school, though.'

'Hey!' Olive says, detaching herself from Sky long enough to tug on my pants. 'How'd you get your hair to do that?'

'Training,' I tell her. She's too young to understand the concept of hair-care products, and, from the looks of things, the concept of a brush.

'You sound funny!'

'Olive!' her mother said sternly. 'Now, Cardin, Russel, you two call me Poppy. Have a seat, have a seat! Dinner is almost ready. Do you want anything to drink, water, coffee, tea?'

We politely refuse and seat ourselves on the couches. Olive has decided that Sky is still her favourite, and is telling him some convoluted story about a pony and how she got to ride it. She's got competition, though, the twelve-year-old and the ten-year-old also want to talk to Sky.

'They really like him,' I comment to Dove.

'Yeah, well, he doesn't have to live with them,' Dove says, leaning back. 'That's Pax, that's Crane, Serena, Harmonia, and you've met Olive.'

'How old are they?' I ask.

'We're standing right here,' an irritated voice says behind me.

'You mean right behind me where I can't see you and didn't hear you coming?' I ask without thinking.

Someone else laughs, and two more girls move into view around the arm of the couch. Despite myself, I can't help but be impressed. Dove's sisters are hot.

'I'm Serena,' the older one says. 'I'm sixteen. That's Harmonia, she's fifteen.'

They're both tall, and curvy. They've got muscles on them, though, and without even having to check their hands I can guess they're Huntresses in training. They've got long caramel-coloured hair and huge dark eyes. They're total babes.

'So who are you?' Harmonia asks. She's the one who spoke to me before. Her voice is full of challenge.

'This is Russel and that's Cardinal,' Dove says. 'Hey guys.'

Serena settles herself on the couch beside Cardin and smiles at him. 'Pax is the ten-year-old. Crane is the twelve-year-old. Olive is seven–'

'Almost eight!' Olive yells.

'Almost eight,' Serena agrees.

'So what's been going on?' Dove asks.

'School work,' Serena says with a shrug. 'The usual.'

'Where do you study?' Cardin asks.

'We're at Marker,' Harmonia says. 'Studying to get into Beacon. We're Huntresses.'

'What do you use?' I ask with interest.

'Grave Moon,' Harmonia says, leaning forward, her eyes lighting up. 'I can show you–'

'No weapons inside, remember?' Serena says to her. Harmonia looks like her candy's been taken away.

' _Fine_ ,' she sighs, turning back to me. 'It's a variant ballistic bow-bolas. So a long-bow, but with barrels built into the shaft. They only fire one shot before I have to reload and their range isn't great, but nobody sees them coming. I can also separate the arms of the bow at the centre of the arms and use them as a grappling hook, or I can use the entire thing as a staff.'

'You don't run out of arrows?' I ask, fascinated.

She grins. 'Wires linked to the base of each shaft. I can discard them after firing or I can use them to increase my manoeuvrability. Plus, I carry, like, a million. I've got melee, short-range _and_ long-range capabilities.'

' _Nice_ ,' I say, impressed. 'Bows are rare.'

'Bows with ballistic capabilities are even rarer,' she says smugly, clearly delighted I recognised what it meant that she had one.

'Hey!' someone suddenly yells in my ear. I flinch back, realising that Olive has crawled along the back of the couch to bypass Dove and get to Cardin and me. 'Are you guys in my brother's team?'

'Yes, we are,' I say.

'Are you his boyfriends too?'

'Nope,' I say, noticing the look of panic on Cardin's face. He's not used to small children.

'Are you each other's boyfriends?' she asks, putting a hand on my shoulder and sliding down on the cushion between us.

Normally I'd make a joke about how I'm too good for Cardin, but I know the almost-eight-year-old won't understand it. 'Nope,' I say. 'Do you have a boyfriend?'

'Yeah,' Olive says confidently. 'He's at school, though. Wanna be my boyfriend?'

'Nope,' I say again.

'Ok.' She accepts it better than most girls would. 'Hey, do you have weapons?'

'Yep.' I catch Dove's eye. 'Show your sister Polaris and Octantis?'

Dove grimaces. 'I'd rather you didn't. She'll try and recreate them with steak knives.'

'Ah, good call.' I look back down at her. 'Maybe Cardin will show you his, if you ask nicely.'

She wriggles around and grabs Cardin's arm. 'Hey, will you show me your weapon?'

I smirk, despite myself. Cardin frowns down at her. 'Uh…'

'No more weapons talk,' Poppy called from the kitchen. 'Dinner is ready.'

We seat ourselves around the table. In the scramble, Poppy winds up at the head of the table, with Dove on one side, Cardin on the other, Sky next to Dove, Serena next to Cardin, me next to Serena and Harmonia across from me.

'Now,' Poppy says, as she, Dove and Sky begin to serve everyone. 'Dove told me there wasn't anything you boys didn't eat, so we have roast beef, we have some vegetables, and there're a few other things. You help yourselves if you want more of anything.'

'I'm going to want more of everything,' Cardin says. 'This all smells amazing.'

He's not wrong. Food at Beacon is good, but this is barely food. It's art. I dig in enthusiastically.

'So Russel, do you have family in Vale?' Poppy asks. 'I know Cardin and Sky both do.'

'No, I don't,' I say. 'Beacon is a great school, though.'

I see Dove's face and realise he hasn't told his mother everything. Sure enough, her next question is, 'So your family are all in Vacuo, then?'

'My parents both died when I was very young,' I say. I've been trying for almost sixteen years and there's no way to say that that comes out sounding good. Business-like, you sound like a bastard, emotional, the conversation ends up getting dragged in a million directions away from the one you wanted. Sometimes if I move on quickly enough they get the message, though. 'They were both from Vacuo, and I was raised in Vacuo. Beacon is a far better school, though, and travelling has been really interesting.'

'We just can't get him to shake the accent,' Dove says with a grin.

'You know, nobody cares about the accent but you,' I tell him.

'I like your accent,' Harmonia says.

'Have you ever been to Vacuo?' I ask Poppy.

'Oh yes, I was an external technician on the CCT,' Poppy said cheerfully.

I blink. 'Wow. Really?' It's hard to imagine this fluffy woman doing what's been described as the runner-up to the title of "most dangerous job in the world."

'Oh yes. I became internal once I had Dove, and then I decided I wanted to open a boutique instead once I had a few more,' Poppy said cheerfully.

I am seriously impressed. External technicians are those who leave civilisation to maintain the Cross Continental Transmit system. They're heavily-armed, usually travel in armoured vehicles, and have a casualty rate second only to Hunters. They're also usually exceptionally intelligent. Internal technicians are just as smart. I do not give _anyone_ in Dove's family enough credit.

'Yet another thing my sisters ruined,' Dove comments.

'Speak for yourself. We call him the first pancake,' Serena says to me and Cardin – mostly Cardin, in fact. Hmm. 'You know, the one that never turns out right, because you're really just using it to check if the pan is hot.'

'I let them think that,' Dove says loftily. 'I can't bear to tell them that Mum only kept having kids because she didn't want Serena to be alone in being second-best.'

'Alright, that's enough,' Poppy says firmly. Dove and Serena subside quickly. I am deeply, _deeply_ impressed by this woman.

'Would you like some more bread?' Harmonia asked me.

'Sure, thank you.'

Harmonia picks up the platter next to her and leans across the table to pass it to me… leans, in fact, far further than she has to. I blink and quickly glance away from her cleavage – easier said than done – to focus on selecting the best piece of bread from among the three pieces left.

I don't look up until she's settled back. I'm in time to see Sky grinning, Dove rolling his eyes, and Poppy frowning at her daughter. Oh god. I'm bright red, I know.

'So how has business been?' Sky asks. I resolve to do something very nice for him very soon. 'Have the robberies been putting anyone off?'

'Oh no,' Poppy says comfortably. As they fall into conversation, I feel something stroke my foot under the table. Harmonia's eyes are on her plate, but I _know_ it's her. I can feel her bare toes through my pants. Trying not to be a jerk about it, I move my feet under my chair. She gives me a disappointed look and seems to get the message: I can finish the rest of dinner in peace.

Once the plates are clean, Poppy produces a pie and ice cream, as well as tea. Serena and Harmonia take over pouring for her as she doles out pieces of pie. 'Here you go,' Harmonia says, putting a cup down beside me and brushing my arm with her hip. 'Would you like some sugar?'

'Uh…' I begin, my mouth falling open. She did _not_ just say that in front of her mother.

'For your tea,' she says, giving me a grin that would have gotten her locked in jail for public indecency if she had done it in public. 'Sugar? Milk?'

 _'No!_ Thank you,' I blurt. Cardin is red-faced from trying not to laugh. Sky isn't much better. Serena actually lets out a snort that she quickly turns into a cough. I thought she was the nice one!

Poppy takes pity on me and lets me eat my pie in peace as she peppers Cardin with questions. By the time she's done, Cardin has stopped laughing and is looking like he's been through an intense interrogation, and it's time for us to head off.

'This was lovely,' Poppy declared. 'You boys come _any_ time.' She pecks Dove and Sky on the cheeks, then does the same to me and Cardin before we realise what she's aiming for. Some combat reflexes we have. 'Safe walk home!'

We leave in silence. I think Cardin and I are shell-shocked. 'That was – really nice,' I say after a moment, surprised to realise it was true. The food had been great and the atmosphere had been even better.

'Yeah, I noticed you enjoying yourself,' Dove says accusingly.

'That wasn't _me_!' I yelp.

Dove, Sky and Cardin all burst out laughing. 'I know, man, I know. You looked like you wanted to bolt,' Dove says, wiping a tear away. 'Though, if you did want to go out with her–'

'I don't!'

'Whatever, she could choose worse.'

'I'm not going to date your sister! Although,' I add, realising what he just said, 'Thanks for the compliment.'

'Harmonia might be upset, though,' Dove says thoughtfully. 'I kind of thought she might like you too.'

Sky howls with laughter. I realise what Dove's getting at and grind my teeth. 'Oh, haha. Besides, I was only Olive's _first_ pick, not her favourite. She was bugging Cardin all night, trying to get him to let her handle his weapon.'

'That's sick,' Cardin says. 'She's eight, you perverts!'

' _Almost_ eight, cradle-robber,' I say, elbowing him.

Before he has a chance to respond, Sky stops dead. 'Explosions,' he says, his head turning like a hunting dog's. 'At the docks.'

We break into a sprint.

 **I will admit, I had** **far** **too much fun with this chapter.**

 **Generally, naming Dove's family was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Poppies, cranes and olives are all symbols of peace/mean peace, as are doves; Harmonia and Serena should be obvious.**

 **When I started writing this I considered reversing Dove and Sky's personalities. Dove meaning peace, I considered having him as the peace-maker and making Sky the joker, since the phrase 'larking about' means having fun. But I decided that was too obvious.**

 **I tried to write it so that Dove's actions are actually responsible for resolving a lot of the issues in the group. He calls attention to them and they get addressed, and people are too busy being annoyed at him to be annoyed at each other. Sky, meanwhile, is serious and academic and obsessive. Well, in China larks were traditionally kept as pets, and trained to sing 13 sounds in a strict order; any disruption of the songs decreases the lark's value significantly, which is a nice reference to his prioritisation of academics. I decided I wanted to be a little more subtle, especially since the obvious meanings are quite Western-inspired and Rooster Teeth has done such a good job of incorporating elements from other cultures.**

 **Grave Moon was just an idle thought I had, wondering if bows could work in the RWBY universe.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

We arrive at the docks fifteen minutes later, to find a site of organised chaos. Police are everywhere, there's wreckage scattered around, and heavily-armed SWAT are shepherding – holy _shit…_

'Are those _White Fang_?' Dove says in utter disbelief. We watch the cops strongarm the Faunus into the van. This is insane. What is going on?

'That's RWBY!' Sky says suddenly, turning his head sharply again.

'Where?' I ask, startled. I don't see them.

'Somewhere out of sight.' Sky frowns and I know he's increasing his Semblance. 'I can hear them – behind that warehouse.'

'What are they saying?' Cardin whispers. Sky flinches anyway, and shakes his head.

'Can't make it out.'

'Hey, keep moving,' a uniformed police officer calls, seeing us standing there.

'Our friends are in there,' Dove says instantly. 'Are they ok? Four girls?'

'They're fine, now beat it,' the cop says, taking a step forwards.

A lot of cops are graduates of combat schools. This one is clearly not. I could take him without the Stars. But Sky puts his hand on my arm and Cardin shakes his head at me, and I reluctantly let them lead me away.

'What the hell happened?' Dove mutters.

'White Fang in Vale,' Sky says, as if he can't believe it. I feel like he's being a tad thick.

'Someone had to be in Vale,' I point out. 'You've been getting robbed like it's going out of style.'

Dove stiffens. 'Hell, I need to tell Mum.'

'Are we even allowed to?' I ask uncertainly.

'It's not as if _that_ was exactly subtle,' Cardin mutters, gesturing at the holes in the ground.

We leave it at that, but the next day we start playing Hunt the RWBY Team Member. They seem to be hiding in their rooms, though. We haunt the hallway, but the only sign of movement are our shadows.

Finally I spot Arc, walking down the hall. I step out and he jumps back at the sight of me appearing in front of him like a Jack-in-the-Box.

'Hey, what happened at the docks last night?' I ask.

'How should I know?' he demands.

'You talk to Team RWBY all the time,' I say impatiently. 'Didn't they tell you what's going on?'

'I haven't seen RWBY all day,' Jaune says, trying to step around me. 'They've got their scrolls set to DND.'

Scrolls are never turned off: they're far too important for communication. You can set them to DND, though, 'Do Not Disturb', basically telling everyone you don't want to be contacted unless something's on fire.

'Shit,' I mutter. I give Arc a look of dislike out of sheer reflex, and he actually musters up the nerve to react this time.

'What's your problem, Russel?'

'I don't like you,' I say coldly, turning away.

Arc actually grabs me and spins me around, and for the first time I regret that I don't have Cardin's bulk. 'I got that, what I want to know is why?' he snarls. 'I've never done anything to you, your team is the one who should be–'

'What?' I snarl back, throwing his hand of my shoulder. 'My team is the one who should _what_ , Arc?' I bunch my fists, waiting for a fight. I need something to burn the tension off. But Arc's spine is trickling away as I watch.

'Nothing,' Arc says bitterly.

'You really want to know why I don't like you?' I demand. 'You're useless.' He flinches as though I've struck him, but I don't back down. 'You didn't earn your place here, you didn't earn your partner, and you sure as hell didn't earn your position.' I've heard how Pyrrha Nikos became his partner; she saved him, just like she's been doing ever since.

'That's what this is about?' he asks, fumbling around and missing the point by a mile. 'You're angry that I'm a team leader?'

I actually snort with laughter. 'You don't fucking get it, do you? I wouldn't be team leader if they begged me. I don't _care_ that you're team leader. I care that you're team leader without any effort or achievement. They just handed you the title and you've been dropping it like it's on fire ever since. You really think a team leader would have caved to Cardin?'

'Cardin was blackmailing me!' Arc yells.

'And you let him!' I yell back. 'You set yourself up to be blackmailed when you came here! You haven't earned _anything_ , you've just been letting Pyrrha Nikos carry you!'

The door between us slams open and Yang Xiao Long steps into the hallway. Her hair is on fire and her eyes are red. 'SHUT UP,' she growls, 'Or so help me god I will MAKE YOU!' Then without another word she slams the door shut again.

Right on cue, the door across the hallway opens and Pyrrha Nikos steps out. 'Jaune?' she asks in a lowered tone, clearly having heard the omen of death that was a tired Yang Xiao Long. 'Are you alright?' She sees me and her eyes narrow. I look at her with a completely deadpan expression.

'Thanks, Nikos. You've just won an argument for me.' And I turn and walk away.

* * *

Classes start back up a week later. We don't see RWBY before then, but at the start of our first combat class, Dove manages to slide into a seat next to Ruby Rose. Sitting behind them, I eavesdrop shamelessly on their conversation.

'Hey Ruby,' he says politely.

'Oh, hi Dove,' she says, looking slightly confused.

'I was wondering, did you ever work out that recoil problem?' We had all agreed that we needed a pretext to talk to RWBY, and Dove's had been the best.

Ruby perks right up and launches into a highly-technical discussion. Dove listens, nodding intently. 'Ok,' he says when she winds down. I wait for him to ask her about the docks, but he asks instead, 'But wouldn't you get a better range and velocity with copper reinforcing instead of iron?'

No! Bad Dove! I kick the back of his chair to remind him not to get side-tracked, but Rose is off again, and Dove is lapping it all up. Then Rose asks Dove something about Aquila Chalice and I know I've lost him entirely. Out-manoeuvred by a fifteen-year-old who doesn't even know she's being played. My god.

I sit back with a sigh, then flinch back upright when Professor Goodwitch calls my name. 'Mr Thrush, you seem awfully comfortable today. Perhaps you'd like to take the first match.' Geez, what died in her porridge this morning? 'And since Miss Rose has nothing better to do than chat, she can be your opponent.'

Everyone is ready to fight, even if they won't get a chance, so Rose and I vault the edge of the seats and walk into the ring. To the side, I can hear Xiao Long yell, 'Knock him dead, Ruby!'

I've fought Rose before, twice. She's won one and I've won one, and we've both got a good grip of each other's' styles. I crouch down, ready to get as close as I possibly can once the bout starts. She tenses, knowing what I'll try, ready to get as far away as possible.

We're fairly evenly-matched, as these things go. We're both fast and agile, though she's faster. She has a ranged weapon, but if we can close, I'm obviously a lot stronger than her. So aim of the game, make it a melee fight.

The bell chimes and we both jerk into motion, her back, me forwards. As I half-expect she brings her scythe around to fire as soon as possible. I jerk to the side and then flip, and her shot goes under me. I land with both feet where she used to be, but she's used her Semblance and all I catch is rose petals. A shot hits my shoulder and I let it roll me while I try and find her.

There! She has to stop to take aim – not for long, mind you, but I don't need long. I charge her, dodging bullets all the way, and wait for her to run. I know she will. If I can just –

She uses her Semblance and I lunge – not at her, but at where she has to go to get past me and to the other side of the ring, where she'll have the most room to twirl about. I cut her off and she stops herself short, and then tries to run in the other direction. I make a grab for her, but she evades me and darts past. I throw myself into a backwards somersault and come up too close for her to shoot me, and spin, throwing out an elbow as I do, but she ducks it and swings her scythe across at head-height.

I drop into a crouch, get a foot beneath me and leap at her, but again she dodges and her scythe hits me in the back. I feel it, even through my Aura. Rose is good with that thing. I'd love to see her in action against some Grimm. She's gotten too close, though: I snap out a kick that glances off the scythe handle and sends her staggering back. If I could only get a hit on _her..._

I come up again and take a moment to evaluate her. She's breathing heavily; so am I. I would argue that we're two of the most agile students in the class. I heard Pyrrha Nikos comment once that watching us fight was like watching two bolts of electricity jump around, which I decided to take as a compliment coming from her.

Rose meets my eyes and grins fiercely. I can't help but grin back. This is fun.

Our moment of peace is over: her scythe whips down again. This time I don't bother dodging at all: I just deflect them with Polaris and Octantis as I advance on her. Rose swings the scythe into both hands so she can swing it at me and I charge again, but I slash at the air as I go, activating the Dust chamber on Polaris and Octantis. A slice of ice cuts through the air, stopping her from dodging left, and a Dust-generated shrapnel from Octantis traps her to the right. I throw myself into a roll to dodge her frantic slice and come up right in front of her, with her scythe trapped between my body and hers. I grab the handle with my left hand, use it to twirl her around and press her to my chest with the handle keeping her there, then wrap my right arm around her waist and then flip us both as high as I can into the air and land, releasing her as I land, slamming her into the ground and watching her bounce away.

'That's the match,' Goodwitch declares. 'Well done, Mr Thrush. An excellent use of terrain and anticipating your opponent based on previous encounters.

'You alright?' I ask Rose, pulling her to her feet by her hood. She looks a little punch drunk. I hope I didn't actually hurt the hyperactive little midget.

'Heh. I'm _fine_ ,' she says, trying to wave my hand away and slapping me in the chin.

'Uh huh.' I follow her over to her team. They're looking at her with concern. Her Aura protected her from injury, but I've still rattled her brain a little. She makes it over the barricade herself though.

'Hey, so what happened with the docks in the holidays?' I ask casually, following her and slumping down next to Dove. He gives me a guilty look.

'Huh?' Rose asks. 'Oh, that. Well, Weiss took us to see a new shipment of Schnee Dust, and it was getting robbed at the time, so we just stopped them.'

'Really.' I look thoughtfully at her and take a moment to note that the air suddenly seems to smell of bull.

'Yep,' she says. Her eyes are a sharp and bright as ever. I'm not getting anything else out of her.

'Right,' I mutter, and turn to watch Lie Ren and Sky squaring off.

 **This was a bit of a keep-things-moving chapter, but it did allow me to show that Russel isn't the only one who talks to RWBY. At this point it falls out like this (in this fic): Dove is on good terms with Ruby (because weapons nerds) and has nothing to do with the rest of them, Russel is on alright terms with Ruby and Yang just because he has the most to do with them, Sky doesn't have anything to do with any of RWBY and Cardin is actively disliked by RWBY (and yes, I'm distinguishing between the team and the character on purpose). I'm trying to build up the progression of their relationships realistically. Obviously the whole racism thing was a huge setback (as it should be, I'm not trying to excuse racism) but I'm still trying to evolve them to a point where they're talking to each other. I'll do more next chapter.**

 **Plotting the fight was fun. I would match Russel up with Blake before I matched him up with Ruby, because both Russel and Blake are extremely agile fighters, but if I were to match CRDL and RWBY up, that would leave Ruby with nobody, since the other three members of CRDL focus more on strength than speed.**

 **Aquila Chalice is the name of Dove's weapon, and, like all of them, I've made it up myself. It's kind of convoluted: the family name for doves is Columbidae, which made me think of the columbine flower, whose genus is Aquilega, which is based on aquila which means eagle! And part of the flower is called the calix or challis. I also thought that would tie in with Cardin's church theme to a small extent.**


	11. Chapter 11

**One reviewer pointed out that Yang and Russel don't interact with each other last chapter. That is definitely about to change.**

 **Chapter Eleven**

The second term is passing far quicker than the first. We have assignments, training and just generally stuff to do. So it's no surprise when Oobleck stands up and tells us he has another assignment for us.

Dove and I are playing HangGrimm, and he's losing _bad._ I'm two letters away from getting the Beowulf's legs drawn in (my word was "disemboweled" but Dove seemed convinced I had chosen some form of food – I think he was hungry) when Oobleck actually pauses. This is sufficiently odd to attract my attention.

'Your first missions as Huntsmen and Huntresses are coming up in a very short time,' he says in his pedantic manner. 'As such, with the presence of visitors for the festival, I think you could all benefit from a more in-depth knowledge of what it means to be Hunters in Remnant! I am assigning you a group and a historical event in which Hunters from different kingdoms worked in tandem and I expect a report to be compiled by all of you!'

I sigh. This is going to be a drag

'The groups will be as follow.'

Wait, what? We aren't doing this with our teams?

'Cardin Winchester, Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee; Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc and Dove Bronzewing; Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkyrie and Sky Lark; and finally Russel Thrush, Yang Xiao Long and Lie Ren.'

The only consolation is that nobody looks any happier than I am at the moment. 'Excuse me?' Schnee actually yelps

'My dear girl, this is an exercise in history and teamwork!' Oobleck says enthusiastically. 'I want to throw you out of your comfort zones even as our early forebears were thrown out of theirs!'

Well, he got that bit right, at least. Nikos, Belladonna and Cardin all look furious, Arc looks worried, and Sky and Ren are sharing such similar looks of disgust that I wonder if maybe they wouldn't actually enjoy working together. Schnee is dismayed, Xiao Long looks irritated, Dove and Rose look resigned, and Valkyrie is wearing her typical vacant grin

We're dismissed from class early. Apparently we won't have any in-class lessons from now until our mission; we're to work on this report together instead. I groan. 'This is going to be the worst,' I say to Cardin

'Let's just get it over with,' he says grimly. JNPR and RWBY are waiting for us at the base of the seats. We descend in much the same manner as we would if we were going to be hanged.

'Sooooo,' Arc says uncertainly. 'Partners.'

'Temporarily,' Belladonna stresses, crossing her arms.

'Let's just get this done,' Cardin says briskly to Nikos, not noticing the flare of anger in her eyes. I'm momentarily diverted by the fact that Cardin has finally been paired with people as strong as he is. That's not a self-burn; I stand up to Cardin by just ignoring the fact that he's trying to push me around. Schnee, on the other hand, is just as pushy as Cardin is and if anything even more used to getting her own way, and Nikos will react like fire Dust if Cardin tries to tell her what to do. This is going to be disastrous. The thought cheers me up for all of ten seconds before I remember my own personal long-haired pains in the ass.

'So,' I say to Ren.

Ren looks at us both. 'We should begin in the library. They'll have reference books we can use.'

'May as well,' Xiao Long says with a sigh.

We all end up walking to the library together, three discrete, unhappy clumps. Once there, though, we have to split up. There are nooks in the library where you're allowed to talk but they aren't large. Ren, Xiao Long and I claim one and then set out into the stacks, looking for history textbooks.

I return first, carrying a single book. Ren is next, with three. Xiao Long shows up a moment later, carrying a dozen. 'I don't think we need all those,' I say, startled into speech.

'They're all books on the history of Vacuo,' she says, looking offended.

'Ok, fine,' I say impatiently. 'Just chuck them down somewhere.'

We settle down and begin to scan our textbooks in total silence. I can hear Valkyrie chirping away somewhere in another study nook, and I take a moment to feel sorry for Sky.

'What areas do you want to focus on?' Ren finally says in a grudging tone.

I take a moment to scan my memory to pull up what Oobleck actually assigned us. 'We got the Ursai invasion of Vacuo,' I say. 'So… I think we should focus on the Ursai invasion of Vacuo.'

Ren rolls his eyes and sighs heavily. Xiao Long frowns. 'Yeah, no duh.'

They're really starting to piss me off. 'Fine,' I snap. 'You can focus on the cutbacks in the Hunters' annual budget five years before the invasion that led to the kingdom's outer perimeter being understaffed. I'll focus on the desert terraforming processes that left large groups of civilian workers stranded without any support. You can also have the genesis of the Vacuo Party for Unification since it's directly linked to the Council's economic policies and Ren can look at Atlas's military advancements that were happening at the same time which distracted everyone from the outlying regions.'

They look like I've both surprised and impressed them. I've kind of impressed myself. 'You've studied this before,' Ren says after a moment.

'Couple of years ago,' I say.

'Awesome!' Xiao Long says, looking happy for the first time. 'You got any notes? That would make this a lot easier.'

Regretting bringing all those books? I wonder cynically. 'Nope.' It's true, too; I never actually made any notes. Everything I learned about the invasion, I remembered.

'Well, would your family be able to send them?' Xiao Long asks impatiently.

'Nope,' I repeat, as unhelpfully as possible.

We're silent for a moment, then Lie Ren reaches for a piece of paper. 'What did you say we should look at?'

I make myself sound friendlier as I list the topics. He writes quickly and neatly, his eyes on the paper. Trying to make up for snapping at them, I add, 'Xiao Long's books will actually have a lot of good information on this stuff.'

'Would it kill you to use our first names?' Xiao Long snaps. So much for friendlier

'Dunno. Don't want to risk it.' I make my voice as laid back as possible, knowing it will drive her mad.

'Swear to god, Thrush –'

'See, isn't it fun?' I ask.

'You know, we do have to work together,' Ren says. 'Maybe you two should stop aggravating each other.'

It's hard to argue with someone when they're stating facts in a calm, reasonable tone. I turn to Xiao Long and jerk my head at Ren. 'He's no fun.' Then I look more closely at the books Xiao Long brought and add in surprise, 'Hey, that top one's actually really good. It's where I got the information last time I did this assignment.'

'You like to read?' Ren asks, curious.

'Not really,' I admit. 'You?'

'I enjoy studying,' he says with quiet enthusiasm.

Xiao Long and I grimace at each other in a moment of shared disgust. 'At least we got an interesting topic,' she says grudgingly.

'You have no idea,' I say. 'The Ursai invasion was gnarly. They made a kick-ass monument for it in Recluse Academy.'

'That's where you trained, isn't it?' Xiao Long asks.

'Yeah.' I think about it. Recluse was a lot different to Beacon: a lot more spread out. Space is never at a premium in Vacuo, which leads to some sprawling architecture. We got most of our fitness training in jogging from building to building.

'So why'd you come to Vale anyway?' Xiao Long asks. 'Wasn't Recluse any good?'

'There was nothing wrong with it,' I say, as unwilling to start studying as she is. Lie Ren ignores us both, dutifully taking notes. 'Beacon was just better, even if this place is freezing.'

'It's not cold here,' Xiao Long says, startled.

'Shows what you know,' I say. 'This is the like the middle of winter in Vacuo.'

'Aw, poor baby,' she croons. 'You wanna blanky?'

'Only if I can stuff it in your mouth,' I say.

'You can _try_ style,' Xiao Long snips back.

'It won't be hard, it's open enough.' I make talky motions with one hand.

'At least I talk to people outside my team,' she says, crossing her arms.

'Meaning?' I ask, leaning back. Lie Ren, between us, lowers his head. 'I talk to you and your sister.'

'Yeah, and that's it. You and CRDL are a bunch of snobs.'

'This coming from someone who has Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna on their team,' I note scornfully. 'Those two are bigger snobs than all of CRDL put together.'

'Isn't it a bit early to be picking fights?' Ren interrupts, looking up with iron in his voice and eyes.

Xiao Long and I glare at each other for another moment, then start to study.

'D'you mind?' I ask a few minutes later as she picks up my pen.

'What?' she asks irritably.

'That's _mine_.''You aren't even using it.'

'I will be in a second. Didn't you even bring a pen?'

'Uh, that was me,' Ren admits sheepishly, pulling Xiao Long's pen out of where he was using it as a bookmark and passing it back to her. 'Sorry.'

'There, you can have your pen back,' she snips, throwing it across the table at me.

'So you ask permission to _return_ it? Kind of backwards, don't you think?' I retort.

'Worried I'll get cooties on it?' she demands.

'More like worried it'll get lost in your rat's nest of hair and I'll never get it back.'

'You're in no position to talk about stupid hair, yours looks like a toilet brush.'

Oh, she did not just insult my hair. 'I never said your hair was stupid.' I wait for her to process that, then add, 'Just that it looks like you forgot to _feed_ it.'  
'Enough,' Ren snaps.

* * *

By the time the hour is up I think Ren would happily have throttled us both. We spend the entire time sniping back and forth at one another until he tells us to shut up. There'll be five minutes of peace, and then we'll start back up.

We all pack up with no little relief, but as Xiao Long and I start to leave, Ren steps in front of us. 'We are not going to get this assignment done if you two can't get along,' he says, crossing his arms. 'Shake hands.'

'Excuse me?' I snap.

'Shake hands or so help me, I will _make_ you.'

'Excuse me?' It's Xiao Long this time. 'I know for a fact that you can't beat me in a fight.'

'Then I'll just ask Nora to help.' He isn't kidding, either. 'You know she will, too. Now shake hands.'

We glare at each other, then slowly reach out and shake hands. Holy hell, her skin is warm. And so smooth, too.

'You're freezing,' she exclaims, dropping my fingers.

'Told you this place was an ice box,' I say with a shrug.

'I thought you said it was an ice place to train,' she says with a sudden grin.

I grin. 'That was _terrible_.'

'Good.' Lie Ren uncrosses his arms. 'I'll see you two tomorrow.'

'Yes, _dad_ ,' I say, walking past.

We meet up with Cardin, Schnee and Nikos on our way out. Cardin and Nikos look mutually irritated, but Schnee is walking in between them and I get the impression she's serving as the counter-balance between them. That makes sense: Nikos likes Schnee and Cardin at least respects her. She would be the only one who could get them to work together. Much like Rose, I imagine thoughtfully. She gets along with both Arc and Dove – I caught Dove returning a book on historical weapons design that he'd borrowed from her a few days ago – and what about Sky and Belladonna and Valkyrie? Hmm. Sky was actually pretty similar to Belladonna in temperament, and he had a high tolerance for stupid shit from his years with Dove. He would be able to tolerate Valkyrie, and he and Belladonna might actually get along if she could get past her angry Faunus thing  
That's an interesting thought. How much planning went into these groups?

'How much planning went into these groups?' I say, turning to the person beside me, only to find it's Xiao Long.

She looks at me, startled. 'What do you mean?'

'I don't think – never mind.' I turn back. My theory has one giant hole in it and it's our group. Xiao Long and I are the least likely to get along if we're forced together. I can work around Schnee, I have no problem with Ren and Belladonna, I can work with Ruby and Nikos and I think I could stand Valkyrie if I had to. Xiao Long is the only one my personality actually clashes with.

* * *

I mention my theory to the others when we retire to our dorm room. They look at me in surprise. 'Why do you think you're the weak link?' Sky asks.

'Ok, first of all, I never said weak link,' I say. 'And second, it makes sense. Xiao Long is the only one I can't make myself ignore.'

'She seems fine to me,' Dove says. 'Didn't you say she was hot?'

'She is hot! That doesn't mean I like working with her.' I begin ticking off points. 'She's cranky, stubborn and she won't admit when she's wrong. And she doesn't take anything seriously!'

Cardin, Dove and Sky exchange incredulous looks. 'You're not serious,' Cardin says finally.

'I know! She's so annoying to work with. Seriously, I don't care how hot she is, I would prefer to be in literally anyone else's group.' I slump back.

'Maybe you're just too similar,' Dove suggests.

I dismiss the suggestion with a snort and a wave of my hand. 'Please. She's a brainless airhead who thinks about her hair, her sister and fighting, in that order.'

'Whereas you think about your hair, your team, and fighting?' Dove suggests.

'Fuck off,' I say companionably. What has Dove been smoking, and where can I get some? 'Xiao Long and I are not the same.'


	12. Chapter 12

**Please review! I appreciate the faves and follows, but without reviews I don't know what you're thinking of the story. As a bonus, I'll always get back to a review (if I can, obviously).**

 **Chapter Twelve**

Xiao Long, Ren and I all show up to the library at the same time the next day. Conscious of Ren's eyes, I step back and make an exaggerated bow to Xiao Long. 'After you, madam,' I say in a parody of an upper-class voice.

'Thank you, sir,' she says in the same tone, making an odd little hand gesture that I guess is meant to be a graceful gesture of thanks – or what she imagined a graceful gesture of thanks looked like. Ren rolls his eyes, but decides to take it at face-value. After all, us working together to mock him is still progress.

We proceed to our nook and sat down, setting our silliness aside. We had gotten some good work done yesterday, in between our squabbling. Ren runs an eye over our notes and hums to himself. He's definitely the driving force here; neither Xiao Long nor I care about grades enough to want to take over.

'I think we can start drafting a plan,' he says to us. 'It looks like the invasion falls into three discrete stages. There's the events leading up to it, the events of the invasion itself, and then the events that made Vacuo realise they needed Vale's help.' I wonder to myself if maybe he's enjoying being in a position of power.

'Four,' I say. 'I think we should include the treaties Vacuo and Vale set up in the aftermath.'

'That can just go in the conclusion,' Xiao Long says dismissively.

'I think she's right,' Ren says to me before I can retaliate.

'First time for everything,' I murmur. Lie Ren sighs and Xiao Long just sniffs at me.

'I'm going to be the bigger person and not respond,' she says, sticking her nose up in the air.

'Even though you just responded in saying that?' I ask dryly.

Ren clears his throat. Reminded of the threat hanging over our head – namely, Nora Valkyrie – we start to compile our notes.

'So you mentioned a monument yesterday,' Xiao Long says to me after maybe ten minutes. 'In Recluse. Why does Vacuo have one and not Vale?'

'Because you guys swooped in and saved us after most of our Hunters were annihilated,' I say, remembering back.

'It doesn't say that anywhere in our notes,' Ren says, sounding surprised.

'Well, it wouldn't spell it out. We didn't want to admit our Hunters had gotten beat so bad, you know? Even though it was politics. Look, here.' I point at the notes I'm looking for. 'Politicians drastically altered the structure of Hunters throughout the Kingdom. The ones who responded to the initial Ursai were out of their depth and in unfamiliar territory. They got wiped out, and then people, civilians, were getting killed too quickly for politicians to allow Hunters to hold back and gather numbers, so they just kept ordering them into the killing grounds one by one. We needed more Hunters from another Kingdom because ours were decimated.' I sit back. 'That's what the memorial is. A sundial, carved with the names of all those who died fighting the incursion.'

'A sundial?' Xiao Long repeats, startled.

I nod. 'So that nobody is left in shadow for long.'

'That's – kind of nice,' Xiao Long admits.

'That's what I thought,' I agree. 'Actually, now that I think of it, can we have a segment in our report just titled "Politicians, Fuck those Guys"?'

Xiao Long snorts. Ren shakes his head. 'I don't think Oobleck would approve,' he says, straight-faced.

'Oh no, Oobleck's disapproval,' Xiao Long says, rolling her eyes. 'That would be unbearable.'

'Did you just make an Ursai pun?' I ask.

'I didn't, but I should have,' she says. 'Bear with me, I'll get it right next time.'

I laugh and groan at the same time. 'That was a terrible pun.'

'Please, I've bearley gotten started.' She's grinning, now, a bright look on her face. So this is what she looks like when she's having fun. It's kind of – breathtaking.

'I don't think this is very productive,' Ren begins.

'Dude, don't tell her to stop,' I say to him. 'She'll just punish us for it.'

'Did you just call me dude?' Ren says at the same time as Xiao Long's 'Did you just make a pun-pun?'

'Yes?' I hazard.

'Please don't,' Ren says.

'Good start,' Xiao Long says approvingly. 'But you need to work on your punctuality.'

'Please. Stop,' Ren says, burying his face in his hands.

'Maybe you should go _lie_ down,' I say to him.

'That's it.' He stands. 'I'm going to find more books.'

He's gone before Xiao Long and I can think of any more puns. 'I wonder if he's actually going to come back,' I comment to her.

'We have his stuff. He'll come back,' she says confidently.

'I gotta be honest, I don't know that much about him,' I say. 'Dude doesn't talk.'

'I thought your teammates went to school with him.'

'They did. They agree with me. Dude doesn't talk.'

Xiao Long laughs. 'Can you blame him? Nora eats up so much of his energy it's a wonder he actually gets up in the morning.' She tilts her head and looks at me. 'You know, we would talk to you if you talk to us.'

'This again?' I ask in exasperation. 'Xiao Long, why would I _want_ to talk to your team? You and your sister are fine, but Belladonna death-glares me every time we pass each other and talking to Schnee is like pressing my face to an ice sculpture.'

'Your team's hardly perfect either,' Xiao Long says sharply. 'Cardin is a bully.'

'He's getting better,' I say defensively.

'That doesn't change anything! What you did to Velvet was horrible.'

I look down, then up again. I won't let her think I'm a coward who can't face the truth. 'I know, alright? It was – out of character for me, and I tried to apologise to her–'

'And what about Jaune?' Xiao Long demands. 'Have you apologised to him yet?'

'Oh, _fuck_ Arc,' I snap. 'No way in hell I'm apologising to that little–'

Ren clears his throat and I stop dead. 'If I can't leave the two of you alone for five minutes,' he says, sitting down, 'This isn't going to be a very productive session.'

'Understatement much,' Xiao Long mutters.

I feel bad. Nothing she said was wrong, and I was actually enjoying having a conversation with her. I cast around for something to say to improve the situation. I can only think of one thing. 'Punderstatement?' I suggest, hopefully.

Ren groans, Xiao Long grins, and my heart lifts just a little.

'That was weak,' she tells me.

'That was _terrible_ ,' Ren says.

'A bad _ren_ dition of a pun,' Xiao Long adds.

'Stop punning with my name!' Ren exclaims.

Xiao Long and I pretend to be sorry, and we settle back to work. Ren leaves to grab another pen, and Xiao Long and I don't even fight. It's – productive. And calm. And nice.

'So what do you two want to do for your first mission?' Xiao Long asks eventually when Ren's returned.

'It depends on what's available,' Ren says.

'I just want to get out of the kingdom,' I say.

'Why?' Xiao Long asks.

I shrug. 'Crazier shit happens outside the kingdom than in.'

Xiao Long rolls her eyes. 'You'd be surprised,' she mumbles.

'This that thing at the docks?' I ask casually. 'Thought it was just a Dust robbery.'

'It was,' she says, a bit too sharply. I roll my eyes again.

'One that you just happened to stumble into,' I add, unable to resist baiting her.

'Yep. Isn't that why we're Hunters? To help people?' she asks challengingly.

I shrug again. 'Nope.'

'Huh?'

'Nope. I'm not a Hunter to help people.'

'Why are you a Huntsman then?' she asks, leaning back. It looks like Ren is listening too; he's stopped writing.

I think for a moment before I answer. 'Because by being a Huntsman,' I answer slowly, 'I get access to the craziest, most dangerous situations in the world… and nobody tries to protect me from them.'

'You're a thrill-seeker,' Ren says. It's impossible to tell if he's condemning me.

'Sure,' I say. It's not the whole truth, but it's enough of one. The truth is, by becoming a Huntsman, I'll be free for the first time in my life.

He doesn't respond, instead starting to write once more. Xiao Long looks at me, and tilts her head to the side. 'You said people wouldn't try to protect you,' she says suddenly. 'Were your parents really protective?'

'I don't ha– no,' I say. It's true; none of my foster-parents were over-protective. 'It was just easier for them not to let me do anything fun,' I explain.

'And by fun you mean dangerous,' she says.

'Of course.' I grin at her. 'Where's the fun if there's no danger?'

Conversation trails off after that, until fifteen minutes later when Xiao Long rises and stretches. 'I'm going to go grab some water,' she tells us. 'Do you guys want anything?'

'Huh?' I got a bit distracted watching her stretch. With an effort I bring her words to mind. 'No, thanks.'

Xiao Long sashays out and I watch her leave. When I look back, Ren has set his pen down and is staring at me.

'What?' I say defensively, expecting to be chewed out for ogling his friend.

'When you were talking about your parents earlier,' he says instead, 'you started to say something and then you changed it.'

'So?' I ask, wondering what his point is.

'What were you going to say?'

I consider telling him it's none of his business, but Ren's face is calm and grave. Despite myself, I kind of like the guy. He's so imperturbable. It's relaxing. 'I was just going to say that I don't have any parents,' I say with a shrug.

'You talked about your parents, though,' he pointed out.

'Yeah, I meant foster-parents.' I shrug at him. 'So?'

He looks down at his paper. 'Did you have – many foster-parents?'

I cross my arms, beginning to feel irritated. 'Explain to me why this is your business?' He looks away and I blink. 'Don't tell me _you're_ in the system.' I could believe it: I've met foster-kids like him, who just withdraw from the world. But I've met kids of every type in the system, you can't just generalise like that.

'Yes,' he says quietly, and then doesn't add anything.

I lean back and look at him for a moment, then I make a not-so-wild leap. 'Valkyrie too, then, I guess?'

He shoots me a sharp look, but something on my face reassures him. 'We were raised together,. Even when we were moved, we were moved together,' he admits, drumming his fingers against the paper. 'But we were together before we entered the system, and I think they tried to keep it that way.'

'You two were some of the lucky ones, then,' I say, trying to imagine a childhood spent with one person that you could trust and rely on, and failing. A stab of jealousy pierces me, but I shove it down. His good luck wasn't his fault. 'Not many get that sort of consistency.' I remember his earlier question and add, 'I had – a couple of families.'

His eyes are serious and softer than normal when he looks at me. He has enough insider knowledge to guess that when I say a couple I really mean several. At least a dozen, if I'm remembering correctly, in the years since I turned four until I enrolled in the academy at age twelve. I smile to myself in remembrance, thinking back to them. 'They were good people, though,' I add, turning back to my paper. It was true, most of them had been.

'I'm glad,' he says after a moment, as if he took the time to think about it and decide that yes, he is glad. I find myself warming to the guy. He's so serious.

Xiao Long hasn't come back yet, but I still find myself unable to concentrate. What she said is running through my head. 'You know, Cardin's not that bad,' I say out loud.

'He's a bully,' Ren says flatly.

'He's getting better,' I repeat. 'You haven't made mistakes?'

'Mine don't involve discriminating against someone based on their race,' Ren says tightly.

'Neither will his, in the future,' I say, trying desperately to hold my temper.

'So we should put aside his past without any punishment?' The grip Ren has on his pen is the only indication he has that this conversation is getting to him. I'm kind of surprised that it hasn't snapped; then I look closer and see that his pen is stainless steel. Even so, it's dimpling.

I take a look at him and I make an educated guess that he might know more than I realise. 'You really want to talk about letting people's pasts go without punishment?' There we go. There's that tiny narrowing of the eyes I was looking for. I lean forwards. 'Here's a deal for you. You ease up on hating Cardin, I'll do the same for Arc. We give each other's dickheads a fair chance.'

Someone moves out in the stacks, metres away. It's the only noise in the place. 'I don't–' Ren begins.

I cut him off. 'Don't call it hate, then. Call it whatever. Stop it, and I'll do the same. And then we can have all those conversations Xiao Long keeps harping on about.' In his dreams, maybe. But Ren is sitting back and looking at me speculatively.

'You think I can influence my team.'

'Valkyrie likes you, Nikos respects you.' I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering where he's going with this.

'Has it ever occurred to you that Jaune makes the best captain for our team for a reason?' Ren asks. 'Nora likes him. Pyrrha – and I – respect him. He doesn't have to be the best warrior. We trust him.'

'I trust Cardin too,' I say. 'All of our team does.' I think back and grimace. 'We don't always trust his actions.' Because they can backfire hilariously. 'But we always trust _him_. I guess–' It feels like I'm chewing glass to say it, but I can see now that it's true. Valkyrie and Nikos are among the best warriors in our class. Ren is some kind of genius when it comes to Aura manipulation. What does Arc have?

Nothing but their trust. He's done nothing to earn it. He's just been – himself.

'I guess it's the same for you and Arc,' I finish reluctantly.

'You really should use our first names.'

I recoil. 'You know damn well why I don't.' In the system, you're filed with your last name first. For most of my life I was technically THRUSH, Russel. Wherever you go, whoever comes to you, the first thing you see is their last name. After a while, it becomes almost instinct. That's what we told ourselves, anyway.

'Habits can be broken.' He taps his fingers against the paper again. Is that some sort of nervous tic, or is he just irritated with me? To be fair, nobody calls Nora anything but that...On the other hand, screaming 'VALKYRIE!' at the top of your lungs, while fun, is much more difficult than to just let rip with an irritated 'NORA!

I stare at him. 'I don't see a need to, do you?' It's a direct challenge. He just half-shrugs at me.

'Your choice.' It's acknowledgement, not condemnation. For the moment that's enough.

* * *

Xiao Long still hasn't come back. It's been almost fifteen minutes. 'Where _is_ she?' I ask, trying not to sound so put out.

'Russel?'

'Hm?'

'Do you like Yang?'

'She's alright,' I say, tamping down the strange surge of fear that rose up in me at his words. 'Terrible sense of humour.'

Ren decides not to comment on that one. 'You seem to get along with her very well.'

'You're joking, right?' I ask, raising an eyebrow. 'Weren't you a step away from putting us both in the naughty corner?'

'Regardless.' It's all he says. I drum my pen against my paper and frown at him.

'What's that–'

'I'm baaaack!' Xiao Long carols, skipping into sight. 'And guess what? I don't have to do the assignment!'

'What?' Ren and I say at the same time.

'Oobleck and Goodwitch just found me. Team CFVY was meant to be arranging the dance in a couple of weeks, but they aren't going to make it in time, so RWBY gets to do it. Which means, I don't have to do the assignment!'

'Weak!' I yell, forgetting we're in a library. 'What are we meant to do?'

'Oobleck said he won't give you more time, since he wants this in before you head out on our missions, but he will give you extra points,' Xiao Long says, gathering her stuff. She's leaving immediately, I note with dismay. 'Have fun!'

And with that, she's gone, joining the flash of white outside that is Schnee walking past.

'Weak,' I mutter again.

'We're going to have to focus,' Ren says. 'This will be harder without Yang.'

'Nah,' I say without thinking, still looking after her. 'Might be easier without her here to distract me.'

I realise what I've said and grimace, but Ren doesn't pounce on it the way anyone else would have. He just gives me a thoughtful look then turns back to his work. Before we can resume, though, we hear an angry voice saying somewhere to our right: 'I can take your entire team single-handed!'

'Is that Nikos?' I ask, startled. I don't think I've ever heard her actually angry before. 'Who's she talking to?'

'Bring it!' Cardin. Fucking Cardin. 'We'll smear you across the training floor!'

'I think she's talking to your team leader,' Ren says to me, totally straight-faced.

My mouth drops open. 'They've been alone together for thirty seconds!' Then what they actually said catches up to my brain and I feel the blood rush from my face. 'Did he just say we'd fight Pyrrha Nikos?'

'He seems to have.' Bless Ren for not laughing. He would have been absolutely entitled to.

I drop my face into my hands. 'I take it all back. He's a fucking moron.'

Ren does not look like he disagrees.

 **AN: I did have to rewrite this chapter when season 4 came out. Originally I thought Ren's parents might still be alive, though I did suspect Nora was an orphan based on the lyrics of 'Boop'. I still don't know if Ren and Nora actually did go into foster care, but it seems to make sense.**


	13. Chapter 13

**One reviewer said last chapter that they kind of wished the beatdown had a different outcome. I'm definitely going to take that as a compliment to how I've written these characters – you actually like them now!**

 **This chapter was quite hard. I tried to transcribe the fight in 'Extracurricular'… hopefully it's not repetitive.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

The mood in the locker room is tense as we prep for the coming beatdown.

'I lost my temper,' Cardin tries.

'Shut up, Cardin,' I fume.

'I didn't think you'd mind!'

'Shut _up_ , Cardin,' Sky suggests.

He shuts up. I recheck my spaulder, knowing I, like all of my team, am just putting off going out there. 'This is going to be humiliating,' I say out loud.

Cardin straightens. 'It's training,' he says firmly. 'It doesn't matter if we win or lose. It's just training.'

Dove checks Aquila Chalice's blade is clean. 'Shut up, Cardin.'

'I'm serious,' Cardin insists. 'This is the perfect opportunity to practice our combination attacks. I don't care if we lose. If we win, awesome, if we lose, so what? It's Pyrrha Nikos, nobody expects us to win.'

'So going in there, we should _expect_ to have our asses served to us on a shiny silver platter?' I ask. Cardin hesitates. I draw Octantis and point it at him. 'Shut up, Cardin.'

'Maybe we should consider using your Semblances,' Sky says to Cardin and Dove.

Cardin frowns. 'My control–'

'We've been practicing for months, you need to try it out in combat sometime,' Dove points out. 'And since Russel says his isn't good for combat–'

'It's not,' I confirm.

'Maybe if you told us what it is,' Cardin begins.

'Shut up, Cardin!' Sky snaps.

'He's right, though,' I say to Cardin and Dove. 'I think we need to use you two.'

'Well, you'll have to turn yours off,' Dove says to Sky.

Sky blanches. I sigh. 'You haven't been training without it, have you?' He said he would. Sky relies on his Semblance far too heavily in battle, especially considering who his partner is. He _said_ he would train without it occasionally, in case we were ever _in this exact situation where we kind of needed to be able to use Dove's Semblance!_

'Uh,' he begins. I bury my face in my hands.

'Cardin's right. We're going to get our asses kicked.'

'I–' Cardin begins.

'Shut up, Cardin!' we chorus.

'I'll turn it off,' Sky says meekly, accepting the spectre of the shield to the face that he is doubtless going to receive at some point in the very near future with good grace.

'Great. Cardin can scare her, Dove can scream at her, and then we'll – win,' I finish lamely.

We look at each other and sigh.

* * *

Here's the problem with fighting Pyrrha Nikos: she's good at everything.

I mean, the major problem is that she's just a brilliant fighter. But more specifically, she's fast, strong, agile and tough, and her stamina is incredible. Someone like Xiao Long is a tank who comes up short against speed and agility. Someone like Rose is fast but not strong, and you can outlast her. Schnee relies on her Semblance, and she's a very agile fighter, so if you can get past the glyphs and you have enough brute force you can punch right into her. Someone like Belladonna, again: her strengths are ambush and misdirection. Nail her down in a straight fight and you have a decent chance.

But Nikos is _tough_. She can take a hit, if she doesn't want to just avoid it, and she's strong enough to go toe-to-toe with anyone in my team. You need a team like RWBY to take her on: four people, each with a specialty, to overwhelm her. CRDL? Three tanks and me? We're too narrow in scope. I've been trying to convince the other guys to invest in some agility training, but they haven't been as enthusiastic as I'd have liked.

The fight starts out fairly tame. We spread out, trying to ignore the feeling of doom, and wait for things to get serious. I kind of want Cardin to Semblance-scare her, but I know deep down that he won't. He's too afraid of affecting us, and he doesn't want to admit that that's his Semblance, afraid of what conclusions our classmates might draw. I can't say I blame him, either. This will be hand-to-hand.

Nikos opens the match by charging Cardin. No surprise there: she's radiating anger like heat. He blocks, but he's staggered, and she makes another cut that leaves him wide open for her follow-up attack. Dove and Sky charge in on either side before she can take the chance, forcing her to divide her attention between them. I lunge to take advantage of her momentary distraction before I realise that she's suffering from no such thing: she knocks me flying, deflects an overhand slice from Sky and then continues the move to sweep Dove's feet from under him. Then she breaks into a sprint and charges Cardin again, her weapon shifting in her hand. Cardin swings at her and Agusta Nave bounces of Nikos' shield. To Cardin's credit, he deflects the next few blows, but Nikos wasn't aiming to _hit_ him. Getting to my feet, I see Cardin fall to his knee under the onslaught, and Nikos leap into the air. She wasn't trying to beat him: she was trying to pin him down so that she had an opening for an even better strike.

Cardin rolls out of the way, and Nikos leaps into the air again. She wants to throw her weapon at him, but Dove is on his feet and Nikos switches her aim instead.

Dove deflects the spear. It ricochets behind Nikos, and as Nikos lands, slides to the ground and sweeps Dove's legs from under him with the momentum from her landing – good God, again? I really need to insist that my teammates work on their footwork – she catches it and fires at Sky. Apparently she's regained her ability to tamp down her anger. She's back to the cold, analytical fighter who won't focus solely on Cardin, even though this entire thing is his fault.

Fuck.

Sky has his Semblance off, I can see it in the way he moves. He swings Alouette at Nikos a few times, but Nikos parries repeatedly and then stabs him in the stomach. It bounces off his Aura and sends him flying back.

Cardin's been hanging back, waiting for an opening. Nikos engages him, blocking Augusta Nave with her shield, leaping into the air when Cardin activates Augusta's fire Dust. Giving Cardin that much space was a bad idea: she's in range and he has the space to swing. He hits her shield squarely, sending her skidding back across the ring. Sky has circled around, trying to catch her from behind: now he swings again, sending Alouette crashing into the ground as Nikos leaps off the ground into a roll that allows her to keep an eye on both of them while still avoiding the strike. At the same time, Cardin closes again. Nikos blocks his strike with her shield, still mid-air, lands on her back, sweeps Sky's feet from under him – for _fuck's_ sake – and leaps back to her feet almost a metre from Cardin, avoiding his clumsy punch.

Fuck, Cardin is starting to lose his temper. Nikos knows it: she charges forward and bounds up to actually roll off Cardin's back and Frisbee her shield at him, hitting both him, and, on the rebound, Sky in the face. I am definitely a bad teammate: I desperately want to laugh. That desire fades when Nikos lands on Sky's back, a totally unnecessary move. He's out of the fight, and Nikos is a bitch who apparently is happy to risk someone else's broken spine.

She's also pissed off Dove, now, meaning he is definitely not going to think to use his Semblance. He charges, and I charge with him, knowing he needs an opening. Nikos hits me first, sending me flying again, but Dove is close enough to exchange a volley of strikes. She avoids them, of course, and kicks him in the chest, but the kick lacks her earlier power, and Dove, who actually listens to me when I tell him he needs to improve his agility, manages to somersault and land on his feet. I'm genuinely proud.

Now that Dove's out of range, Cardin launches into the air, turning Nikos' earlier move against her. She's forced back, and has to resort to her weapon's rifle-form: the first time she's done that in a while. I leap in front of Cardin and deflect the bullets while Dove sprints to the side, then I charge.

I need to make an opening. I build up speed then throw myself into a triple somersault. If she doesn't block this I'll hit her right in the face, and I've got some momentum up now. She blocks, I land, and I slash at her again. She's actually off-balance: she's never fought me when I'm angry at her before, and she isn't prepared for the acrobatics I can do when I'm motivated.

Dove is at my side, and we slash at her together, trading sides and flipping to confuse her and to gain space, moving around until we have her between us. As soon as we have her lined up in front of him, I flip to a safe distance, Dove just steps back, and Cardin swings at her again. She rolls under the swing, desperate to gain ground, and fires at him again. I can't believe it, we're actually pressing her. Cardin blocks her bullets, and then, no doubt dazed by success, charges straight into a knee in the face. They exchange blows, she kicks him and sends him staggering back, and then they keep hammering at each other. She sends him back again and I duck underneath him and close to give Cardin a moment to get his breath back.

She dodges my cuts and I wonder if I'm actually achieving anything when she spins away, her spear on her shoulder. I throw Octantis at her and it – it misses? How did it miss? She was three feet in front of me! – and then she throws her shield at me, which hits me in the face, which is a lot less funny than when it happened to other people, and then she follows it up with a spear to the face, and I decide that I think the proper course of action is to just let her and Cardin settle their differences like consenting adults: with weapons, and violence.

Goodwitch Semblances me out of the ring, depositing me next to Sky.

'Dove's doing well,' I mumble, watching him actually deflect Nikos' strikes and fire at her. She charges him and he flips out of the way just like I taught him, landing right behind Cardin and…too dizzy to dodge. Fuck. Never mind.

'He gets carried away,' Sky says fondly as Goodwitch drags Dove from the ring as well.

'Needs more practice,' I mutter. How do I avoid the dizziness? Can't remember. Hmm. Maybe I should be concerned about getting hit in the head twice.

Cardin's the only one left. He lasts all of fifteen seconds. Nikos is _pissed._ I wonder what he said to her? Not that it matters. Watching Cardin get slammed into the floor by Nikos is more enjoyable than it should be. It's the same move I used on Rose, and I take a moment to reflect that apparently The Invincible Girl is not above borrowing other people's fighting styles.

'And that's the match,' Goodwitch says, stepping in. I always wonder how much she actually knows about what goes on between students. We told her Nikos just wants the experience of fighting multiple opponents, but I'm not sure she believed us. Maybe the fact that Nikos seemed to be the only one who wanted to be there undermined our position. Nikos has just pounded Cardin like he's a nail, and she looks like she still wants to go. Without Goodwitch, I wonder if Nikos might not kick him while he's down a couple of times.

'Lucky shot,' Cardin groans.

'Shut up, Cardin,' I mutter under my breath. Sky snorts with laughter.

'Well done, Miss Nikos,' Goodwitch continues. 'You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament.'

'Thank you, Professor,' Nikos says, as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

Cardin staggers over to join us and we make our slow, painful way back into the seats.

'That wasn't so bad,' Cardin says after a moment.

'I'm going to start punching him now,' Dove says to Sky and me. 'I can't promise that I'll stop.'

'He's right,' I say. Watching Cardin get beaten has had a very therapeutic effect on me. I'm actually considerably mellow. 'It was good training.'

'She hit you in the head, didn't she?' an amused voice says behind me. I turn to see Xiao Long, leaning against the back of my seat, grinning.

'Not all of us have built-in cushioning,' I retort, stung. 'Plus some of us actually keep stuff in our head.'

Schnee, sitting beside Xiao Long, bridles. 'Not all of us are so unwise as to pick a fight with someone famous for their ability at combat.'

I give Cardin a hard look. 'No shit.'

While we're been speaking Goodwitch has set up another match. Some poor fool here for the festival, fighting Nikos again. 'What'd _he_ do to piss her off?' I mumble to Cardin.

'He's just here for the festival.' Xiao Long, again. 'First person I've seen who's volunteered to spar against Pyrrha, though.'

I glare at Cardin again, just to watch him squirm. 'You don't say.'

'This should be an enjoyable match,' Schnee says. 'His weapons suggest he uses a highly-agile fighting style.'

I roll my eyes. Speaking from experience, it won't do him much good. Those greaves, though – hmm. They're pretty nice. I wonder if I could get some. If they were lightweight enough.

'So are you coming to the dance?' Xiao Long asks over my shoulder.

Is she still there? I turn and give her an irritated look, then return my attention to the fight. This new kid is really, really good. He's actually pressing Nikos. It's embarrassing that he's doing so well, him on his own, but I guess he actually wants to be there.

'Hey!' Xiao Long pokes me in the shoulder. My good mood is rapidly fading. 'Are you coming to the dance?' she repeats.

'Yes!' I snap, throwing her hand off. ' _Why_?'

Cardin makes an odd coughing noise next to me; Schnee looks smugly pleased. Xiao Long glares at me and sits back, crossing her arms. Sky face-palms.

'You guys decorated the entire thing, so I assume it's going to be awesome,' Dove says twisting around.

'Naturally,' Schnee says.

'Why naturally?' I demand. Dove and Cardin kick me at the same time. Schnee glares at me, and I glare back.

'Hey, your friend is pretty good,' Rose says quickly to the green-haired girl sitting behind her. I turn back to the match, to find that I've missed the vast majority of it. That's annoying: I could have picked up some tips.

'No, the dance should be great,' Sky says hastily at the same time. Xiao Long and Schnee favour him with approving smiles. I roll my eyes.

As we leave the room, Cardin says to Sky, 'You should get a gun.'

He raises an eyebrow. 'Sorry?'

Dove is nodding next to me. 'He's right. If we're in a position where you need to hang back again, you should be able to do something in the meantime.'

'So you're thinking something like what Ruby has?' Sky asks.

'I think so,' Dove agrees. 'I can talk to Ruby and ask her about Crescent Rose–'

'Just stay on topic this time,' I snip.

Dove rolls his eyes. 'You mean the topic which is also the thing that was distracting me?'

'Yes,' I say in a surly tone, knowing I sound like a sulky child.

Dove snorts and elbows me. I shove him back, and it devolves into an impromptu wrestling match in the middle of the walkway.

'If you give my date a black eye before the dance, I'm going to get a gun to use on you,' Sky says warningly.

'I could give him two so that they match,' I offer, looking back at him. Dove takes the opportunity to elbow me in the ribs, and we disentangle.

'The dance should be fun,' he agrees. 'Shame you missed your chance to go with Yang, though.'

I stop dead. 'Wait, what?'

* * *

 **Cardin and Sky's weapons are, again, my own creation. Cardin's weapon, Augusta Nave, references the sceptrum Augusti, which the Roman emperors used and which was headed with a golden eagle. Nave references the body of a church, which is a reference to the fact that Cardin is the main body of CRDL in the show, a knave as in a jerk, and is based off a historical clergyman.**

 **Sky's weapon, Alouette, is the title of a song about skylarks; I chose it because it follows my reasoning behind Sky's name. If you look closely at Alouette, it looks like there might actually be a gun barrel built in, but since Sky doesn't use it, I'm going to say there isn't.**

 **In regards to Pyrrha borrowing techniques: there's nothing wrong with that. It makes sense to learn from other fighters, just as Dove learned agility techniques from Russel. I had Russel note it because Pyrrha is put forward as the 'greatest fighter, cereal mascot, best person in the world, etc.' Russel isn't angry that Pyrrha copied his technique; it just catches his attention as something that jars with her 'Invincible Girl' persona, since that's a title that implies she doesn't need to learn or improve at all.**

 **Russel also got a hint of what Pyrrha's Semblance might be in this fight, even if he doesn't realise it. I'm going to have fun revealing** ** _that_** **to CRDL.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

'She wasn't inviting me to the dance!' I scoff as we enter our dorm room.

'She asked you if you were going,' Sky points out.

'Yeah, so? She probably just wanted to make sure her dance would have people actually there.'

'People are definitely going. It's the first social event Beacon's done all year,' Cardin says.

'Then she was just making small talk on a safe topic!' I say irritably.

'Weird topic to choose,' Dove says.

'How is it a weird topic to choose? You guys just said it's the first thing this school's done all year. It's the most normal thing in the world to talk about!' I exclaim.

'Alright, chill out,' Dove says. 'You're overreacting.'

'And you guys are reading way too much into this!'

'You should ask her to go, though,' Sky adds.

'For fuck's sake!' I yell. 'She wasn't asking me to the dance with her!'

'I know,' Sky says calmly. 'But that's why I think you should ask her.'

'She's probably already got a date,' I say, calming down.

'I can't think of who,' Dove says thoughtfully. 'She doesn't really seem to date.'

'So I should ask her out of _pity_?' I demand.

'I didn't say you should ask her, Sky did.' He waits a beat then adds, 'Though I agree.'

'I'm going for a run,' I say, turning on my heel. 'You guys can come down off whatever you're on by the time I get back, right?'

'Hey, I'll come too,' Cardin says.

I spin on my heel and thrust a finger under his nose. 'If you say one goddamn thing about me and Xiao Long, I'm kicking you off the cliffs.'

Cardin holds his hands up. 'I just want to go for a run, man.'

I glare at him for a moment, then turn. 'Whatever.' I don't believe him. He's lying. I, however, am not. Luckily Cardin seems to pick up on it, and I don't have to see how well he flies in plate armour. Wise man.

* * *

The day of the dance seems to stretch forever. There are no classes; people just hang around in clumps, giggling nervously and not thinking to get out of the way.

'It's like a flock of sheep,' I bitch as we plough through the huddle of students at the door to the dorms. It's time to start getting ready, unfortunately. I'm seriously considering just going to bed and not getting up until the dance is over.

'It's not that bad,' Cardin says, giving me a curious look. 'You really don't want to go to this, do you?'

I shrug moodily at him, shucking my shirt and reaching for my deodorant. 'It's not as amazing as everyone's making it out to be. Recluse used to have dances all the time.'

'Ah, but did they have these?' Cardin asks with a grin, holding up a silver flask.

Dove is already dressed, and neatening his tie in a mirror. He sees what Cardin's holding in the reflection, and shakes his head. 'You're a classy guy, Cardin.'

Sky looks over and face-palms. 'For the love of God, don't spike the punch.'

'Hey, I'm not going with anyone,' Cardin says. 'I may as well enjoy myself.'

'Why didn't you ask anyone?' I ask, distracted from my bad mood for a moment.

Cardin shrugs, not looking at us. 'Nobody I was interested in.'

'Do you want to ask Xiao Long? Because that seems to be the default position,' I snark, sending a bitchy look at Sky.

Cardin snorts. 'I don't think Xiao Long's that attractive, to be honest.'

I pause in buttoning my shirt. 'You're kidding.'

'I don't. She's got weird eyes, her body looks like some horny teenager designed her, and honestly, the whole hair thing is a real turn-off for me.' Cardin waves his hand in the air.

I gape at him. 'So how many times have you refilled that flask today?'

Cardin grins and begins to knot his tie. 'I'm serious.'

'You're not serious! She's a total babe!' I can't believe he honestly thinks that. Maybe his tie is cutting off circulation to his brain? No, that wouldn't change anything about him.

'She's so obvious, though,' Cardin insists. 'There's no subtlety to her. Someone like Schnee, she's pretty, or even Blake Belladonna. They're not so–' He grasps for a word. 'Obvious!'

'Ok, in that case you're not drunk enough,' I say, turning back to the mirror. 'Xiao Long is _smoking_ hot.'

' _Exactly_ ,' Cardin says in satisfaction. 'She's pretty like a fire, it burns you. I prefer something like water, that's a little more – delicate, and soothing.'

'You are _definitely_ not drunk enough,' I say, smoothing my hair into shape.

'You really should ask Yang to dance,' Sky says doggedly.

'This again?' I say in exasperation.

'You've just said how hot she is,' Dove points out reasonably.

'I'm _seriously_ done with this conversation,' I tell them.

'Actually, I'd take it as a personal favour if you'd ask her,' Cardin says out of nowhere.

I turn to glare at him. 'Excuse me?'

He gives me a serious look. 'Sky needs to talk to Ruby about getting a gun installed in Alouette like Ruby has in her scythe. He can't do that if Team RWBY is holding a grudge against you on Yang's behalf, and from the sounds of the assignment, she might be.'

I fold my arms. 'You are genuinely telling me I need to ask her to dance so that the rest of her team likes me?'

'You _did_ describe the group-work as a bit of a train wreck,' Dove says. 'I mean, the rest of us got along with our RWBY member. You were the only one who fought with yours.'

'And you think that just because her sister doesn't like me, a weapons-nerd like Rose won't help Sky modify Alouette?' It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. 'She'll be crawling all over you to get her hands on Alouette.'

'Ruby might not want to offend the rest of her team,' Sky says.

'We need Sky to be more combat-capable,' Cardin adds. 'Please, Russel?'

I throw my hands up in the air. 'My god, fine! I'll ask Xiao Long to dance.' I turn back to the mirror, shaking my head. 'You guys are morons, though.'

In the mirror I see Cardin, Sky and Dove roll their eyes at each other.

* * *

We get to the dance and I have my second nasty surprise of the night. Sky and Dove have led the way in, eager to get to the dance floor. Cardin is following them and I'm trailing at the back, behind his bulk. This means I don't have to hide my facial expression when I hear a familiar voice say, 'Wow, you guys look _sharp_.'

Xiao Long is manning the front desk. Sky grins at her. 'Thanks, Yang. You look pretty great, too.'

'Careful, you'll make your date jealous,' Xiao Long says, smiling at Dove. He grins back.

'Always. Are you stuck at the desk all night?' he adds casually. I resolve to push him down the stairs the first chance I get.

'No, only until all the guests have turned up.' She gestures at a piece of paper. I can see that she's marking off tickets. It's almost completed.

'That's alright, then. Have a good night.' He, Sky and Cardin step to the side, leaving me stranding in front of the desk. I'm going to push all of them down the stairs. I'll line them up, like dominoes. I'm rambling. I need to speak, she's staring at me, say something!

'Hi,' I blurt. She looks like the heart of a candle.

'Hi,' she says, smiling at me. 'You coming in, or…'

'Sure,' I mumble, following Cardin and managing to stumble over my own feet on the flat, stable, non-slip surface. I feel my face flush, and I glance back to make sure she didn't see me. I think she did: she's watching me go. _Shit._

'Well that was fucking smooth,' I grouse, following Cardin as he reclines against the wall and watches the dancing. Sky and Dove have disappeared into the crowd already.

'I have something in my pocket that will make you forget all about it, if you're interested,' Cardin says idly.

I rub my forehead. 'You want to take a moment to think about how that sentence came out?'

Cardin bursts out laughing. 'Fuck you.'

'Had me worried, there,' I say, relaxing. 'I still can't believe you brought a flask.'

Cardin shrugs. 'It was mostly just a joke. I don't plan on getting hammered, if that's what you're worried about.'

'So who _did_ you want to invite tonight?' I ask after a moment.

Cardin's hand strays towards his pocket for a moment. He's silent for so long that I wonder if he heard me. Finally, 'Serena,' he mumbles.

I blink at him. 'Serena Bronzewing? Dove's sister?'

He won't meet my eyes as he nods.

'Good for you, man,' I say as cheerfully as I can. 'I thought she was into you, but I didn't know it was a two-way street.'

'We aren't going out,' he says hurriedly. 'I mean… we've talked a couple of times. I – I said I'd meet up with her in the holidays. I, uh, haven't told Dove yet, actually.'

'Dove won't care,' I say, surprised.

'Yeah, but I mean…' He trails off and surreptitiously pulls the flask from his pocket.

I snatch it off him before he has a chance to do something we'll all regret. '"I'm not going to get hammered," huh?'

Cardin frowns at me, but I tuck it into my pocket with an air of finality.

We hang out against the wall for a while longer. Dove and Sky occasionally drop out of the dancing to keep us company – I figure it's when they need to catch their breath – but they're enjoying themselves, and they never stay for long. It's a good event: people are having fun.

'RWBY did a good job, didn't they?' I say finally.

'It's a good dance,' Cardin agrees. Suddenly he stiffens. 'The fuck?'

I follow his gaze and blink. Arc is… Arc is wearing a dress. Arc is wearing a dress? Arc is honestly wearing a dress. He walks right past us and we stare after him in open-mouthed astonishment. Why is Arc wearing a dress? Why does Arc _have_ a dress?

'Ok,' I say finally. 'Someone is definitely drunk and I don't _think_ it's me?' My voice rises at the end into an involuntary question.

'You've got the means,' Cardin says absently, still staring after Arc. 'Is that – Nikos? Are they dancing?

'It's about damn time,' I say without thinking. Cardin turns to stare at me and I roll my eyes. 'Oh, come _on_ , Cardin. She's so into him I'm surprised she hasn't come full circle and developed a homicidal loathing for him.'

'I thought he was into Schnee.'

'Schnee was not into him. Guess he finally realised it...' I trail off, hearing what I'm saying. This is pathetic. If Arc can put on a dress and dance with someone he has to live and work with, I can man up and take one for the team. I check for teachers, pull out the flask and take a swig for courage, then press it into Cardin's hands. 'Tastes like shit. Don't get hammered.' Then I disappear in search of Yang Xiao Long.

I see her coming down the stairs. For a moment I waver, actually turning back around, but I need to do this. I catch her eye, approach her and hold out my hand. 'Will you dance with me?'

'What?' she asks, startled.

'Will you dance with me?' This was a terrible idea. She's going to say –

'Okay,' she says, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully, and she takes my hand.

Her skin is so smooth! Is it because she doesn't have to grip her weapon, that she has fewer callouses? I don't even know, but it's like holding silk. We step into the crowd and begin to dance. She's quick on her feet: she's sure, confident, knowing where she's going to go, and accommodating herself to me rather than allowing me to steer her. I have my hand against her back and it feels like it's on fire. Dancing with her is like dancing with weightless air, but she's warm and solid too. Over her shoulder I see Sky give me the thumbs up, then turning back to Dove.

'What are you smiling at?' Yang asks suspiciously. Her eyes are on a level with mine, and they're slightly narrowed.

'Nothing,' I say. 'Just – enjoying the dance. Your team did a good job decorating.'

'Thank you,' she says slowly, as if waiting for the trick. 'You're a good dancer,' she adds a moment later, as if in apology.

'We used to have a lot of dances at Recluse,' I say, thinking back. 'Usually outdoors, though, and not usually as fancy.'

'Yeah, I noticed that was a Vacuo thing.' She gestures at my shirt without letting go of my hand. 'You look – good.'

'Thanks.' I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt with buttons. I guess compared to how I normally dress, I do look good.

We dance on in silence, neither sure what to say.

'You look good too,' I add quickly. She smiles for just a moment at my obvious afterthought. I can't tell her I didn't say anything earlier because it seemed so obvious that she was beautiful that it went without saying, without sounding like I'm trying to cover up for my mistake.

The song ends and we swirl to a stop. She frowns up at me. 'Why did you do that?'

'Ask you to dance, or tell you you look good?' I ask, taking refuge in a raised eyebrow.

The band takes a moment, then strikes up the opening bars to another song. 'Ask me to dance.'

I shrug at her. 'I wanted to.' It's the only answer I can give, the alternatives being a sure-fire way to a fist to the face, and, I'm surprised to discover it has the added benefit of being true. We're still standing in the middle of the dance floor. We'll have to move, or join in. 'Do… you want to dance? Again?'

She smiles slowly, still confused. 'Sure…'

We dance again, a quicker dance this time, too quick to really allow for conversation. When we finish we're right next to Belladonna and her date, the blonde Faunus who's been hanging around school lately. They're looking right at us.

'Uh – Russel Thrush, this is Sun Wukong,' Yang says. She lets go of my hand to smooth her hair nervously. 'Sun's visiting for the festival.'

'Hi,' I say.

He perks up. 'Hey – Vacuo?'

'Yeah, man. You?' His accent sounds like music to my ears. I didn't realise how much I'd missed it until now.

'Moved to Mistral, but originally, yeah! You probably know a couple of friends of mine.'

We discover that we do have friends in common from the academy – people he had grown up with, people I had trained with – and the conversation just evolves naturally from there. Schnee and the blue-haired guy she's been tiptoeing around come to join us; apparently he's on Sun's team too. I'm startled to find that with her boyfriend there to facilitate actual conversation instead of sniffs and sneers, Schnee is a surprisingly nice person.

After half an hour or so I decide I need to get back to my own team. 'It was good talking with you,' I tell Sun and Neptune. I'm kind of surprised to find it's true. 'Look me up if you're around.' I turn to Yang, but everyone else has paused their conversations, and the sudden silence unnerves me. All I can manage is a would-be casual, 'We should do this again sometime.'

'Throw a dance for the school?' she asks, crossing her arms and tilting her chin at me. It's a challenge, but there's no hostility in it.

'Why not? You do a good job of it. Later.' I nod at them and make my way over to Cardin, Sky and Dove. This night has been...nice.

* * *

'That was – weird,' Yang commented, watching Russel retreat.

'What did he want?' Weiss asked curiously.

'I have no idea,' Yang said.

Sun and Neptune both broke into snickers. 'What?' Blake asked.

'Um… I kind of think he wanted _you_ , Yang,' Sun said, grinning.

'But not in a creepy way,' Neptune added quickly. 'In an "I'm enjoying dancing with you" way.'

'That's _not_ the sort of guy you want to dance with,' Blake said, crossing her arms. 'He and his friends are bullies.'

Yang could have said some things to Blake about judging someone based on the actions of the people with whom they associated, but she stopped herself. For one thing, she valued their friendship too much. For another, she didn't disagree. But Team CRDL had gotten a lot better, lately, and according to Ruby, Russel had apologised to Velvet Scarlatina, or had planned to, or had tried to, or something. And the way he had looked at her…

He had wanted to dance with her. When she said yes, he had just looked… happy.

'It wasn't so bad,' she said out loud.

'It's good that he's better,' Sun said casually.

'Better?' Weiss repeated. 'What do you mean?'

'You know, with his girlfriend,' Sun said.

'Girlfriend?' Yang said, spinning to face Sun. Her eyes flashed red. ' _What girlfriend_?'

'Oh…' Sun had a look on his face that said he realised he had put his foot in it. 'You don't know.'

'Know _what_?' Yang gritted out.

Sun glanced around and stepped closer to them. 'He was dating a Huntress who was killed. It was a Grimm attack, right after graduation. One of the guys I was just talking about, he was at the funeral with the rest of their class. I called him again a month ago, said I was here for the festival, and he said I should look up a guy called Russel Thrush, see how he was doing.'

'That's so _sad,'_ Weiss said, looking genuinely distressed. She had been emotionally-fragile lately. Neptune slid an arm around her shoulders.

'I had no idea,' Blake said. She looked stunned.

'I'm not surprised. My friend said he was really torn up about the whole thing, came here to train because staying in Vacuo was just too painful. Apparently everyone was pretty worried about him for a while.' Sun checked to make sure Russel was still out of earshot. The green-haired Huntsman was talking with a group of boys Sun imagined were his team. 'They were together for, like, _years_.'

Yang didn't look up. So much was making sense now. The dark, haunted look he used to get in his eyes, the way he would zone out sometimes, even the way his voice would lose energy mid-sentence. The tiny, fragile hope in his eyes when he held out his hand.

'My buddy said his girlfriend was a Faunus, too,' Sun added.

Blake and Yang's eyes met. 'That makes no sense,' Blake said in a low tone.

Yang wasn't so sure. She knew, more than anyone, that grief could drive you to do some strange things.

* * *

 **I enjoyed writing CRDL being on board with Phoenix. In real life I suspect Russel wouldn't be quite so oblivious: "You have to dance with this beautiful girl you're clearly into so that her sister will do what she would happily do anyway. No, really." That is the joy of fiction, though.**

 **Another thing I should mention, and thank you to knight7572 for reminding me about this: I haven't said what CRDL was doing during the events of 'Painting the Town'. The thing is, literally nobody comments on the fact that RWBY got into a fight, on a freeway, with a stolen Atlesian Paladin. It's mentioned _once,_ tangentially, then never comes up again. Someone breaks into a building and knocks out a few guards and Ruby gets pulled up in front of the Principal. Her team goes on a rampage on a busy freeway and starts a brawl with a mech that involves flipping cars full of civilians, and people write it off as peak hour traffic? Not likely. So my theory is that nobody realised that it was RWBY who was involved; they pretty much just chalked it up to those wacky terrorists. That obviously raises a whole bunch of other questions, but it still seems like the most plausible scenario. And I'm actually going to say that CRDL didn't even really hear about it, because the Atlas military hushed the whole thing up because they didn't want to admit they couldn't hold onto their tech. I honestly can't think of another scenario that explains it, but I'm open to suggestions.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

I wake up the next morning almost at dawn. I've only had a few hours' sleep, but I feel energised and alive. Not happiness – it's too sharp for that. It's like I have electricity running through my veins, pricking me from the inside. I can't go back to sleep. I slip from my room without waking my team and go running – sprinting – through the school.

By the time I've gotten to the cliffs, I feel more settled. I sink into a jog and run along the clifftops, wondering why they don't scare me more. I'm not afraid of falling off them – it's the bottom of the cliffs that make me nervous. I feel claustrophobic, down there. Up here, I feel free. I guess I don't have any negative connotations with clifftops – all the things that haunt my dreams have cliffs as the backdrop, not the stage.

Normally this – remembering my dreams –would be enough that I'd have to stop and collect myself, but something is spurring me on today _._ I couldn't put my finger on it when I woke, but now, with my mind lulled by the run, I find it keeps returning – to Yang.

Yang, Yang, Yang. Her name drums in my head as I run. It's all I can think of. When she was in my arms, when we were dancing…Why do I feel so uneasy?

Did I ever feel like this when I was with Violet?

That's enough to force me into a run again. I speed up, trying to remember back, back to when we first met. How did I feel? Do I even remember?

My stomach roils as I realise I don't.

No! Not today! I'm going to be happy, goddamnit. I had a good night last night. I danced with Yang and it was nice and now… now what? Now we go on our missions and when we get back… who knows?

I'm grinning as I enter the dorms, my sense of nervous tension exorcised by the exercise. Rounding the corner, I see Yang standing outside her door, holding a package in her arms. She sees me and her eyes widen. She smiles, but then – it shrinks slightly.

I've opened my mouth to greet her, but then I see her smile fade and I hesitate. She sees me see her and she forces herself to smile again. 'Hi, Russel.'

'Hi, Yang,' I say, confused.

'Hey, you used my name!' She looks inordinately pleased, and I feel myself perk up again. Dismissing my worries, I nod at her arms.

'Package from home?'

'Oh, yeah.' She hesitates, shifting from foot to foot. I tilt my head at her, wanting to say more, but not sure what to say. She won't meet my eyes, and dismay begins to rise within me. What did I do?

'Last night was fun,' I say tentatively, testing the waters.

She drops her eyes, and I feel something strike me in the stomach. Before she can say anything else, I hurry on. 'Your team do a good dance. If Hunting doesn't work out Schnee should be an event planner or something.'

'Yeah,' she says slowly, shifting her weight. 'Uh… listen, Russel…'

'Mm?' Dread is uncoiling in my stomach, and I don't even know why. The level of fear I'm feeling right now… isn't normal. Why am I so worried?

'Sun Wukong… He knows some of the people you know from Vacuo.'

'Yeah,' I agree. At this point fear and confusion are battling. I can feel something looming on the horizon, something ominous, but damned if I know what it is.

'He – told us about your girlfriend.'

My jaw clenches, like I've had a brief seizure. The fear in my stomach, and my stomach itself, for that matter, has gone. I'm hollow, now. Damned if I know what it is. Damned, now, for sure.

'Really.' How is my voice so calm? Shock, the tiny part of me that's still functioning decides. Definitely shock.

'I just wanted to say, I'm really sorry,' Yang hurries on. She's looking at me now, at least. 'I know how much it hurts, to lose someone you–'

'Really?' I say again. There's bite in my voice now. The numbness is receding and in its place – anger. 'You _really_ know how that feels.'

She stiffens, and her eyes flash very briefly red. 'I do,' she says, forcing herself to be calm.

'So this is the part where you drop some half-assed sob story about your kitten that died when you were ten so that you think I know what you're talking about?' My voice is cold with rage. 'So that I think you know one goddamned thing about _anything_?'

Yang looks just as angry as I feel. 'You don't know anything about me!'

'At least I don't pretend to!' My voice is rising but I can't seem to lower it.

'I'm not pretending! I'm trying to tell you I'm sorry, you ungrateful dick!'

'Well I don't _want_ your PITY!'

'You don't _want_ anything but an excuse to be an ASSHOLE!'

'Better than being a idiotic BRAT who thinks she knows everything!'

'I know you're being a PRICK!'

'AIRHEAD!'

'BASTARD!'

'COW!'

The door to RWBY's dorm room slams open and Schnee and Belladonna appear. At the same time, JNPR bursts out into the corridor, and Cardin, Dove and Sky round the corner.

'Russel, the hell?' Cardin barks.

I realise then that Xiao Long and I are standing there, shouting at each other at the top of our lungs. I think that's the only thing that saves me from JNPR and the rest of her team: they aren't entirely sure that she wasn't the one who had picked the fight.

'What is going _on_ out here?' Schnee demands. At the same time, Arc murmurs to himself 'What is _with_ this hallway?'

I grit my teeth. 'Not a _damn_ thing,' I spit, then I turn on my heel and turn off, Sky and Dove moving aside for me to pass.

* * *

Cardin allows me to make it to our dorm room before he grabs my shoulder ad halts me. I don't know why he bothers: there's nowhere for me to continue unless I decide to stride straight out the window. Actually, maybe I do know why he stops me: I don't look like I'm going to stop myself, after all.

'Russel,' he says loudly, firmly. ' _The hell_?'

'Sun fucking Wukong,' I snarl. 'He told them, he fucking _told_ them!'

'Told them what?' Dove begins. Sky shoots him a look and Dove lowers his eyes. 'Oh.'

I start pacing from side to side, fuming. Cardin lets me, though he keeps a close eye on me. 'God damn it. God damn it!' I turn and cock my arm to throw a punch at the nearest wall, but Cardin lunges forwards and wraps one arm around mine and the other around my neck.

'Calm the fuck down, Russel, or I'll _make_ you!'

We struggle silently for a few moments, then I sag. Cardin keeps his me in a headlock, clearly not trusting me. 'You can't let this get to you, man,' he says in a quiet, serious voice. 'This isn't – it isn't everything. Not unless you let it. You need to – fuck, man, you need to just calm down.'

I manage a tiny, silent nod, and he lets me go. I rub my neck, not looking at any of them. 'Lost my temper,' I mutter.

'That's the last time,' Cardin says brutally. 'We can't go on our mission if we can't trust you not to end yourself.'

'Fuck, Cardin!' Sky yelps quietly. I turn and give him a bleak look.

'It's fine,' I say quietly. 'He's right.' I look Cardin square in the face. 'My word on it. It's fine. It… I wasn't expecting it.' I never thought she would. I never thought she'd know. I thought I could leave it behind me. A small part of me tells me that I'd have had to tell her sometime. I ignore it.

Cardin nods. 'You need to leave it here until we get back. You packed?'

Of course I'm packed, but I take the excuse he's holding out and go to check my bag, hiding my face from them while I collect myself. They make talk behind me, trying to ease past the awkwardness, until it's time for us to go down to the assembly.

We lurk at the back of the hall, Cardin and Sky taking care to place their larger bulks between me and RWBY and JNPR. At the front of the hall, Goodwitch is trying to get our attention.

'Quiet, quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin.'

'Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly 80 years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end.' Really? The Grimm are what, a pesky natural phenomenon? Maybe they are. Fighting them is like fighting the tide: it goes away, but then it comes back again. Always. 'It was a war of ignorance, of greed and of oppression. A war that was about much more–'

At this point I tune him out. My head is still roiling with anger and shame. I can't believe I lost it like that. If she hadn't surprised me so badly – if I had been expecting it – if I hadn't been happy.

I yelled at her. I called her a cow and I don't even remember what else. She held her hand out and I snapped it off because what she was holding in the palm of her hand – it hurt. The memories still hurt.

What was I even thinking, asking her to dance? I'm not interested in her. All I was interested in were her eyes. Those beautiful, amethyst eyes. They're like Violet's. They're what had attracted me to her. Not her personality – it's as different to Violet's as you could get. I didn't like her, I just decided that I did because part of her was like part of Violet. I could pretend she was someone else. The whole thing was a lie from beginning to end. Of course I yelled at her. What else could I do? I hated every part of her that wasn't her eyes.

'So where do you want to go?' Cardin says to us, and I realise with a jerk that Ozpin's speech has ended.

'This one looks good,' Sky says, pointing at one board. It's titled _Protective Duty_. 'Guarding the CCT, your mother would like that one, Dove.'

'Ha! Good one,' Dove says darkly. 'My mother tells herself that I stay safely at Beacon and polish my weapons and I tell her nothing to contradict that. This is our arrangement.'

'This one works for me,' Cardin says.

'Sounds good,' I agree, trying to keep my voice even.

Cardin enters our team and the board bleeps agreement. In response, Cardin's scroll lights up with a list of instructions.

'We're leaving straight away,' he says. 'We'll meet our Hunter out there, apparently. Come on!'

'Straight away?' I repeat. Half-formed feverdreams of finding her, apologising to her, stir fitfully in my head. Cardin turns on me and opens his mouth and I grin at him before he has a chance to get a word out. 'Why are we still here?'

I don't care.

* * *

We make it to the plane. It's a two-hour ride out to where we're going: one of the CCT maintenance stations, far beyond the kingdom's borders. This is a supply drop, so we spent the ride sprawled on sacks of screws and bolts, beside boxes of more delicate components that are required to maintain and update the CCT.

After a couple of hours the pilot sticks his head out and calls to us, 'Ready, boys? We're only touching down for a couple of minutes, so you'd better be fast on your feet.'

'Got it,' Cardin calls confidently.

We get to our feet and get ready. The plane lands with a delicate thump, and the cargo doors burst open. A group of men wearing the overalls of CCT technicians charge in and fall into a human chain like puppets on a string.

'Move!' the nearest one barks at Sky. Sky skitters to the side, and the man grabs the boxes and begins feeding them down the chain.

Slightly stunned by their speed and efficiency, we trot down the gangplank and out into the sunlight. Cardin nods at Sky, who activates his Semblance, then immediately winces and claps a hand to his ear as the plane's engines rev.

'Smell of gun oil from that direction,' he says, pointing.

We set out at a jog. The station is a long, low building, more like a bunker than anything. Heavy doors, like vault doors, are set into the ground. They can withstand almost anything, allegedly, from Grimm to landslides. I look at the building, imagine being trapped in there by a landslide, and shudder. I think I'd rather just face the Grimm.

There aren't as many people as I think there should be. 'Skeleton crews,' Dove says when I mention this. 'It's better to send out lots of little groups that Hunters can protect than one big group that has too many people. Probably all the workers are unloading the plane.'

We round the corner and find a guy kneeling on the ground with the components of – I don't even know. It looks like – I have no idea. I couldn't even work out where each piece was meant to fit. The man himself is wearing a long brown duster with a heavy mantle that hides the rest of his clothing. He's also wearing dark brown sunglasses that hide the shape of his eyes. His hair is a long blonde mane that reaches to between his shoulder blades, and it's streaked with grey. He looks like an old lion.

'Good evening,' he says, not looking up.

We exchange uncertain glances. 'It's morning,' Dove says.

He looks up at that, squinting at the sky. 'Oh, right. Good morning, then.' And then he turns right back to tinkering with his weapon.

Dove rolls his eyes at me. I shrug and look expectantly at Cardin. He takes a step forwards. 'We're the team from Beacon. Are you the Hunter we're supposed to be shadowing?'

The guy looks up again. 'So you came on the plane?'

'Yes,' Cardin says, nonplussed.

'So the plane's taken off again?'

'No, it's still being unloaded,' Sky says.

'So – you decided to leave the workers to unload the plane – in a situation where they're totally vulnerable – without thinking you should maybe stay and keep an eye on them?'

We all blink. 'Uh,' Cardin begins, thrown by the sudden hint of barb in the man's voice.

'Sorry, but isn't protecting the workers _your_ job?' I demand.

'Nope!' the man says cheerfully.

Cardin throws his hands in the air. 'So you're _not_ the Huntsman we're meant to be shadowing?!'

'No,' a calm voice says behind us. 'I am.'

We turn sharply. The guy standing behind us is a wiry guy wearing a grey dress shirt, black pants and a battered black leather jacket over it. His spiky hair is grey, and he has a sharply-pointed chin.

'I'm Bran Corvus,' he says, stepping forwards. 'That's my partner, Drake Wivern. We're the Hunters you'll be shadowing.'

'I don't remember agreeing to this,' Wivern objects, looking up.

'That's because I didn't ask you,' Corvus says without blinking or looking even slightly embarrassed.

'That would explain it,' Wivern says placidly, looking back down.

Dove looks like he's choking back laughter. Sky look confused; Cardin looks torn between irritation and confusion.

'He's right, though,' Corvus continues. 'You boys should have stuck around and watched over the workers. They've unloaded and gotten all the boxes inside, so no harm done. Come on.'

He turns and walks off, apparently happy to leave his partner to play with the whatever-it-is. 'You boys have names?' he asks over his shoulder.

We list off our names as we follow him around to the front of the building. It's deserted, now. Seeing me look around for the workers, Bran says, 'They don't stay outside more than necessary. This is a dangerous job, but they're not dangerous men.' An odd way to phrase it. 'All of the machinery they need to maintain is in there–' he points at the building, 'And a few relay stations in the mountains.' he gestures around us. 'When they go up there, the ones who stay like to hunker down inside and wait for us to get back.'

'So what are our roles here going to be?' Cardin asks briskly.

'Sentry duty, for the most part,' Corvus says. 'Scouting, to check the forest is clear of Grimm. Guard duty, when the techies have to go into the mountains, which they're going to have to if they want to check the relay stations. You'll have me and Drake both for guard duty and we'll make sure you know what you're doing for scouting. Sentry duty, you're on your own unless I have to show up and kick your asses awake.'

'That won't be necessary,' Cardin says stiffly.

'We'll see,' is the only response he gets. 'You boys ready to be Hunters? Silly question,' Corvus adds to himself before we have a chance to answer. 'It's not like you have a choice now.'

* * *

 **Neither Yang nor Russel really behaved well here, but I think my sympathy is with Yang more than Russel. She didn't know the importance of what she was saying, and she didn't want to hide the fact that she knew. Russel, on the other hand, was taken completely by surprise, fell into his old habit of getting angry, and it just went downhill from there.**

 **The fight takes place when Ruby's in front of Ozpin; I'm going to say that RWBY doesn't reference it during the events of Field Trip and Breach because they're compartmentalizing. Mission: focus on the scary monsters. Come home: take it in turns to kick Russel's ass for being a jerk to their sister/partner/team mate (and yes, Ruby gets first dibs on beating Russel up). It's a simple life.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

As we follow Corvus into the bunker, I shudder. The temperature's dropped a couple of degrees, and a surge of claustrophobia wells up in me as we file into the narrow hallway. Lights flicker overhead, and I'm reminded of all the horror movies set in abandoned facilities. Any moment now something is going to round that corner and try and massacre us all.

'So we've got eight workers here at the moment,' Corvus continues. 'Four are rookies who'll stick pretty close to the veterans, meaning that effectively we've only got four targets to guard. You boys can leave your packs in here.' He pushes open a door to reveal a long, bare room. 'Hope you brought sleeping bags,' he adds dispassionately, surveying the bare concrete floor and walls.

We dump our bags and turn to him expectantly. He eyes us, and sighs. 'Let's go back outside.'

'Sounds super enthusiastic,' I mutter to Dove. He nods confused agreement.

We emerge back into the sunlight and I sigh in relief. Corvus shoots me a look and raises one eyebrow. 'Might leave you with Wivern,' he muses to himself. 'Can't get _him_ inside during the day for love or money.'

'Whatever,' I say with a shrug.

He gives me a hard look, which I meet blandly, then, with a small grunt, he leads us back to his partner.

Wivern has reassembled the loose parts to form a bazooka. As we approach, he looks up, picks up the bazooka and compresses it between his palms so that it's half its original length. I have to assume it's a feature of his weapon; dude's buff, but he's not that buff. He then hooks it to his belt and stands.

'What's the plan?' he asks, sounding surprisingly alert.

Corvus jerks a thumb at us. 'I'm going to leave one pair with you for sentry duty. I'm going to take the others scouting.'

'If I may,' Cardin says politely, 'Can I recommend Dove and Sky for scouting? Sky's Semblance is suited for it.'

The adults turn to look at him as if they're surprised he can speak. 'Your team, kid,' Wivern says with a shrug. 'Uh – who are Dove and Sky?'

Dove and Sky step forwards. 'Neat,' Wivern says. 'So I'm left with big dude and green kid.'

'Yup,' I say, grinning at the look on Cardin's face.

'I'm Cardin Winchester. This is Russel Thrush,' Cardin says stiffly.

'Go, my children. Be free!' Wivern flaps his hands as if Dove and Sky are wild animals being released from captivity, then turns back to Cardin and I. 'As for _you_ two…' He points. 'Roof. Go stand. And keep watch. For things. Things that may be bad.'

We look at him, look at each other, then as one, look at Corvus for confirmation. He grins, so we make our way onto the roof.

'He's mad!' Cardin mutters under his breath, pacing around the edge of the roof, surveying the ground.

'I kind of like him,' I admit.

'Yeah, well that's because you're the same sort of crazy, isn't it.' He frowns. 'We're in a valley.'

'Yeah, Dove said they build low to protect the station from the elements as much as possible.'

Cardin rolls his eyes. 'So we automatically lose the high ground.' He tugged on his lip. 'I guess… roving barrier, keep an eye out for movement.'

'We'll miss any movement if we keep pacing,' I object.

'Walk slowly, then.'

I stifle a groan. 'You know I hate going slow, man.'

'Deal with it.' Cardin's voice is firm. I make a rude gesture and begin to _amble_ around the rooftop.

It's not that bad, though. We're in a valley, true, but the walls are thickly forested and rise up above me, carpeted in green. The mountains just peek out above them, tipped with snow. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing enough to keep me cool, the birds are singing and that's not a bird.

I turn and call to Cardin, 'Nevermore, coming up!'

He spins and presses his hands to his eyes, shading them so he can stare into the crystalline sky. 'Shit,' he mutters. I know how he feels: Nevermores are a bitch to put down. This one doesn't look as big as some, but that's like saying one flesh-eating bacteria isn't as bad as the other; they still both suck balls.

'If you draw it off I could go for the neck,' I say, trying not to sound as doubtful as I feel. Cardin's Augusta Nave is a melee weapon, primarily. It can shoot explosions of fire Dust if it has to but that's not a function Cardin uses much, for some reason. Then again, I shouldn't point fingers. Polaris and Ocantis both have revolving Dust chambers that I never use because Dust is so damned expensive. Someone like Schnee can use Dust like it's going out of style because she gets packages from home. I have to hoard like a miser for replacement cartridges. That's an interesting point, actually… 'Do we get paid for this mission?'

' _That's_ what you're thinking about right now?' Cardin barks. 'Head in the game, Russel!'

The Nevermore sees us, I think, and stops coasting to make a sharp turn. It's definitely seen us.

'Hey, here's an idea,' I say, watching the shadow of death descend upon us. 'Maybe we should ask the actual Huntsman we're meant to be learning from.'

Cardin turns to sprint to the edge of the roof, then recoils. I turn and bite back a manly yip. Wivern is standing _right behind us._

'That's a good idea,' he says mildly. 'Corvus is busy, though. Busy with things. Things to be done. Scouting, I think?'

'I was talking about you,' I say.

'I'm not your Huntsman. I didn't even know you were coming. Corvus didn't tell me. Maybe he thought I'd say no.' He folds his arms. 'That birdie's getting pretty close, isn't it?'

Cardin and I spin with mutual oaths, to find the Nevermore is a hundred metres away and closing fast. It's the size of a car: too small to take down the building - God I hope it's too small to take down the building - but big enough to wreck our shit.

'Russel, we need to keep it away from the building,' Cardin orders. Apparently he's not taking the chance. 'Be ready to jump!'

We charge the Nevermore, me drawing my blades and Cardin readying Augusta Nave. The Nevermore swoops, Cardin swings like a batter going for a homerun, and they intersect: Augusta strikes the Nevermore in the side of the head and derails its forward momentum. At the same time, I've veered to the right and am now coming in at a dead sprint; a millisecond after Cardin strikes the Nevermore, I hit it in the body at an angle with the same triple somersault I used on Nikos, sending the Grimm flying (hehehe… goddamnit Xiao Long! Get out of my head, and take your puns with you!) away from the building, along the same course Cardin started it on.

I land on the edge of the roof, and immediately launch myself off again, Cardin right behind me. The Nevermore is struggling to regain its – feet? Wings? Talons? Whatever, we don't give it the opportunity. I land on its back, slamming it against the ground, then flip out of the way. A moment later, Cardin lands where I just was, and brings Augusta Nave down on its skull with the combined momentum of his own strength and the speed of his fall, and it's all over.

It's a tactic we picked up from Nikos. Use a lesser strike to keep the target in place, to set it up for a later, greater blow. She can do both herself, because she's that good, but I can't help but think our way is a lot more effective – my mobility and Cardin's strength is a terrifying combination when we nail it. If we could have used a strike like that against Nikos, it wouldn't have mattered how many tournaments she's won, Cardin would have smeared her across the training room floor. I'm kind of excited to try it in the tournament, to be honest. Dove and Sky have categorically refused to be crash-test dummies for us, so we haven't seen its effect on people using their Aura.

The Nevermore is very much dead, but I still have Polaris and Octantis out. It's a good thing, too: the bushes rustle behind me and I spin, in time to block a Beowulf's wild swipe.

'Goddamn!' I curse, sliding back to trip over the Nevermore's outstretched wing. I turn it into a tumble, regain my footing and look around. There's a half-dozen of them, forming a loose ring around us. 'What _was_ that Nevermore, their scout?'

'Are the workers still inside?' Cardin asks breathlessly, bringing Augusta Nave back to the guard position.

'They're fine,' a casual voice overhead says. We look up to see Wivern leaning on the edge of the roof. 'They don't come outside, the creepy little moles.'

'Gee, I wonder why!' I yell, as two Beowolves charge. I duck under the first one' swipe, leap into the air, and kick my feet out to each side, hitting them both in the face and sending them staggering in opposite directions. I land, hamstring one and gut the other, then flip to stand back-to-back with Cardin again. Augusta Nave has sent three of them flying, but two of those are getting back to their feet. Three down, three to go.

We hold our ground. One, then another, charges. Cardin sweeps his weapon, sending them both flying, and the third one rushes in for me to jam Polaris under its skull-plate. On the backswing, Cardin brings Augusta close to the ground, I jump and bring my feet up, then as Augusta's handle passes under my feet, I thrust my legs down, Cardin slams Augusta up, and the impact launches me into the air.

For a moment I hang suspended, enjoying the sensation of weightlessness. Then reality returns and it brings gravity with it. I twist my body, drop like a rock, and land, with my daggers buried in the largest remaining Beowolf's back and all of my weight behind them. It lets out a startled little grunt that sounds like 'huh?' and falls to the ground.

Cardin's dealt with his, too. We bring our weapons up, but it seems like those are the last ones. We stand there, panting for a moment, then without looking at him, I raise my fist and Cardin bumps his gently against it.

'Nailed it,' he says.

'Yeah, no thanks to that–' I look up at the roof. 'The hell'd he go?'

We clamber wearily back onto the roof, to find Wivern playing solitaire on the warm concrete. 'How'd it go?' he asks, not even looking up.

'You're a dick,' I say flatly, walking over to take up sentry position again.

'What do you think is more likely, that I'd let you two die or that I'd let you two handle it yourself to gauge your fighting abilities?' he asks, for once sounding like he's actually paying attention to the conversation.

'Uh…' I stutter to a stop. 'Alright, you aren't a dick,' I say grudgingly.

'Oh, I definitely still am,' he says placidly. 'I can simply justify it.'

I laugh, despite myself. I kind of like this guy. Cardin rolls his eyes at us both and turns away. He's muttering under his breath, but the only words I catch are 'as mad as each other.'

* * *

The rest of our watch passes uneventfully. In a couple of hours, Sky and Dove return with Corvus. Scouting went well, apparently; they at least didn't run into any Grimm.

'Makes sense they came straight here,' Corvus says when we tell him that we ran full-tilt into seven.

'Oh yeah?' Dove asks.

'You know Grimm are attracted to negativity, of course,' Corvus says. 'Fear, hatred, all that jazz.'

'Of course,' I say. It's why Cardin could be such a tactically-awkward partner.

'Well, negativity accumulates where people do,' Corvus says. 'You won't get large concentrations of negativity in a patch where people just pass on through. A building like this, though, where a large number of tense, nervous people congregate, is a lot more likely to attract them.'

'I wonder if you could track people using Grimm,' Sky says thoughtfully.

Corvus cocks his head. 'Track people?' he repeats.

'Yeah. If a criminal ran away into the wild, could you use Grimm movements to track them?' Sky leans back and begins to tap his fingers together: a sure sign he's distracting himself with abstract reasoning and tactics.

'That's an idea,' Corvus says, non-committal. 'I imagine by the time you caught up with the Grimm, though, the Grimm would have caught up with the target.'

Wivern and Corvus go aside to discuss something, and Sky and Dove sidle up to Cardin and me. Dove folds his arms behind his back and turns to watch Wivern and Corvus, rocking slightly on his feet. I frown; that's his _don't mind me, just an innocent boy passing the time, nothing to see here_ pose. Sky, meanwhile, steps between Cardin and me to look out over the ground where we fought the Grimm, and under his breath mutters, 'Wivern and Corvus aren't their real names.'

Cardin blinks. 'How – your Semblance?'

Sky nods. 'They were lying.' Damnit, I knew Sky could use his Semblance to detect tells! Last time I play for money against him, that's for damn sure.

Cardin frowns. 'Was anything else they said not true?'

'No, just their names.' Sky turns and stretches, and shoots Cardin a worried look. 'What do we do?'

'Go along with it, for now,' Cardin orders. 'If they weren't lying about being the Huntsmen we're meant to be shadowing, then…that's all we need to worry about.'

I don't like it, but I can see the logic. I don't know why they're lying to us about their names, but if that is the only thing, then… it doesn't matter? Still, something about it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I can't stop myself throwing an uneasy glance over at Corvus and Wivern. They're standing close together, talking, and I can't help but think they look suspicious.

It's almost dusk, so Corvus finishes his conversation and comes to shepherd us inside.

'Nobody stays out in the night,' he explains. 'We keep in the bunker and make sure nothing busts in.'

'Sounds straightforward,' Cardin says. I can hear the tension in his voice, and I pray that Corvus and Wivern can't.

'So what'll we do tomorrow?' I ask quickly.

'I'll take you two out scouting,' Corvus says. 'Sky and Dove can stand sentry for a while.'

'Neat,' I say, trying to pass off the tightness in my voice as surliness rather than suspicion.

We enter the building. The workers are off doing something or other – I can hear them clattering around deeper in the dark bunker.

'You know,' I say, leading us into our room and looking around, 'I really hate this place.'

The rest of them look up in surprise. 'I didn't think you were claustrophobic,' Sky comments, rolling out his sleeping bag and flopping down. From the way he winces, it's not thick enough.

'I'm not, I just hate this place.' I sit down and begin to polish Octantis. It calms me to have a weapon in hand. 'I feel like the walls are screaming at me.'

'Maybe you're just missing Yang,' Dove says drily. 'You just need to feel like _something_ is screaming at you.'

'Fuck off!' I bark.

'You know, I get that Yang surprised you, I really do, but you had to tell her about Violet at some point if you wanted you and her to be a thing,' Cardin says.

'I never wanted us to be a thing!' I yell. ' _You_ all wanted us to be a thing! You kept throwing us together! I don't even know if I like her!'

'That sounds promising,' Sky comments. 'So you might like her, but you're not sure?'

'I am _not_ having this conversation–'

'You may as well, unless you want to go and borrow a pack of cards off the blonde guy,' Dove says with a shrug.

'I'm not taking the chance,' Cardin says darkly. 'Mad bastard will probably have rigged them to explode. Luckily,' and here Cardin grins and produces a pack of cards. 'Your fearless leader has come prepared.'

'Our fearless leader is a cockblocker of the first order,' Dove grumbles. 'Russel needs to work stuff out with Yang at some point. We've got three more years to go, they can't stay mad at each other forever.'

'That's future-Russel's problem,' Cardin says. 'Current-Russel's problem is not losing all his money to me.'

'Yeah, all that money I have,' I say, rolling my eyes. Another thought strikes me, and I point a finger at Sky. 'Swear to God, if you use your Semblance-' Sky raises his hands defensively, but looks a little guilty. Cardin grins at me. As we sit down, I gratefully mutter to him, 'Best partner ever.'

He deals me in and we begin to play without any more analysis of my love life, but I have a horrible suspicion that this isn't the last I'll hear of it.


	17. Chapter 17

**So someone mentioned that they weren't clear on when Sky realised that Corvus and Wivern were lying about their names. Sky's Semblance was active when Corvus introduced Wivern and himself, so Sky knew Corvus was lying straight away, but he didn't have a good chance to tell the rest of CRDL until they came back from scouting since Corvus was with them the entire time.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen**

The next morning we wake up, completely disoriented. There's no natural light in the room where we're bunking; the thing that rouses us is Corvus, slamming on the door.

'Wakey wakey, boys,' he says. He's disgustingly cheerful for – I assume it's early in the day. Hell if I know. I check my scroll. Yep. Early morning. Fucking great.

We climb to our feet and go in search of breakfast. There's a small kitchen that we ducked into last night, to microwave some frozen meals. Today, though, the oldest worker is cooking up a huge pot of porridge. I sniff the air hungrily.

'So how was scouting, anyway?' I ask, passing bowls to Sky, Dove and Cardin and holding it out for the porridge.

Sky shrugged. 'It was fine. Just walking through the forest. After we explained our Semblances,' he hesitates before saying the name, 'Corvus had Dove and I alternating between using them; he had Dove looking for odd echoes and me looking for tracks. I don't know what he'll do with you and Cardin.'

'Maybe we can use Cardin for Grimm-bait,' I suggest.

'Shouldn't Cardin get a say?' Cardin demands.

'Shut up, Cardin,' we chorus.

'Trouble in paradise?' Corvus asks in a dry voice, sliding onto the end of our table with a bowl of porridge and reaching for the honey.

We all fall silent. Sky stares down into his porridge and Dove actually frowns. Cardin widens his eyes at me, a clear message: _distract him_!

'Paradise?' I snort, waving my spoon around at the grim concrete walls. 'You've got a warped vision of paradise.'

Corvus nods brief agreement. He's still methodically drizzling honey into his bowl; I'm pretty certain the ratio of porridge to honey is getting close to one-to-one, if it's not already skewed in the honey's favour. 'I can think of places I'd rather be. Unfortunately, if I want to book tickets to them, I have to make sure the moles can do the maintenance on the CCT.' He puts the honey away just as I'm considering tackling him and prying it from his hands.

'Moles?' Cardin repeats.

Corvus looks guilty for a moment. 'Uh… the workers.'

'Yeah, Wivern–' Goddamnit, I stumbled! Why is it so hard to say their names? Because you know they're not real, that's why. 'He called them that yesterday, didn't he?'

'He's where I picked it up from,' Corvus agrees, giving me a curious look. 'I don't think they like it, though, so I'm trying to lose it again.'

Cardin swoops in and saves me. 'This may be a personal question,' he says quickly, 'But what's your weapon?'

Corvus raises an eyebrow. 'Why would that be a personal question? I had it out all day yesterday when I was scouting with those two.' He nods at Sky and Dove.

'I only just thought to ask,' Cardin says, flushing bright red. God, this is a train wreck.

'We have a running argument,' I say quickly, thinking on my feet. 'Uh, Sky and Dove have weapons with gun capacities, Dove's short-range and Sky's – well, actually Sky hasn't gotten it just yet, but he's going to add a sniper component to his halberd. Cardin has a Dust crystal, and I've got Dust chambers. So we're trying to, uh, just – work out what the best sort of firepower in a weapon is, you know?'

'Well, Dust is exceptionally hard to use,' Corvus says with enthusiasm, and I realise with an inner sigh of relief that my bullshit has triggered what's an obvious hobby for him. 'Your chambers are a lot more versatile, but Dust is expensive.'

'You're telling me,' I mumble.

'If you can afford it and if it complements your fighting style than you definitely can't go past it, but the people who can afford enough Dust to go through the process of developing a fighting style around it are few and far between.' I may as well not have said anything. I certainly don't think Corvus heard me. He's off and away. 'But that's not the right question, anyway, the right question is "what are your strengths?"' He pushes his bowl aside and begins to sketch things out on the tabletop. 'Bullets can only travel in a straight line so mobility in the field is important. A weapon can either detract from your mobility with its weight, it can have no effect, or, in exceptionally rare cases you can use it to _increase_ your mobility.'

'There's a girl at Beacon who can do that,' Dove puts in. 'Two, actually, one use a scythe and one uses a hammer.'

'Girls are usually more lightweight than boys,' Corvus agrees. 'Usually physically not as strong, either, so their options with weapons with a lot of recoil is either to try and counter it or to try and harness it. Now, if you consider that–'

'You pressed the weapons button, didn't you?' We look up, Corvus startled, the rest of us relieved, to find Wivern standing over us with his massive arms folded. 'The moles are getting started. They want to go out. To start work. I need Dove and Sky. To keep watch. For more Grimm, I suppose.'

'So we'll start scouting then,' I say, faking enthusiasm that's almost real because I'm so relieved to get away from someone who rivals Oobleck for being pedantic. Or Rose, actually; he sounds just like she does when she gets started on weapons. 'Coming, old man?'

' _Old_?' Corvus demands indignantly, rising.

I shrug. 'Sorry, just slipped out.'

Wivern grins. 'I like it. Suits you.'

Corvus' hand moves like lightning. Cardin and I drop to the floor with a yelp as a long red staff appears out of nowhere and sweeps the spoons from the table, sending them knifing straight at Wivern. Just as quickly, Wivern snatches them out of the air before they can hit him in the face.

'Sorry, did you want these back?' he asks, holding them out. 'Or were they a present?'

I raise my eyebrows at Cardin, impressed. He nods back, looking awestruck.

'Still think I'm old?' Corvus demands of me.

I rise to my feet slowly. 'That was pretty mad,' I concede.

Corvus stares at me. 'He's impressed,' Sky translates kindly.

'Ah. Alright, you're forgiven, then.' Corvus swings his staff. It shrinks down with a click, and he tucks it back into his sleeve. I stare at him: with the dress shirt, the crisp black pants and the tricks up his sleeves, now all I can think of is a ridiculously competent stage magician who fights crime in between shows. It's honestly all I can see. Catchphrases are running through my head, all in his ironic voice: _as you can see, I have nothing up my sleeves – but JUSTICE!_

I have to choke back my involuntary snorts. I'm worried if I burst out laughing at him he'll crack me over the head with his staff.

* * *

I've calmed down by the time we reach the forest. Corvus turns to look Cardin and me over with a critical eye. 'So what do you boys know about scouting and tracking in the forest?'

'Approximately nothing,' I say.

Cardin nods sheepishly. 'Same here.'

Corvus heaves a sigh. 'Guess that's why I'm here.' Is it really? I'm starting to wonder. 'Alright, it's pretty simple…'

He's lying. He's definitely lying. I don't need Sky's Semblance to know that. Tracking is _not_ simple, it's hellishly difficult. Every clump of leaf litter looks precisely the same as the last, and apparently broken branches are not something that registers as part of my reality, because I don't pick up on a single one of them.

By the time we halt for a rest, we're all mutually fed up with each other. Cardin's pride has taken a real beating, and I suspect that Corvus is sulking over not being able to teach us tracking. He definitely prefers Sky and Dove; every time he looks at us and is reminded that we aren't them, he sort of sighs sadly.

The place we've stopped is a clearing on the edge of a cliff. I can't think of many things worse than trying to fight a Grimm at the edge of a cliff, but it's still a beautiful view. I wander over to the edge and admire the green forest, the dusky blue mountain, the crisp blue sky. 'This is an amazing place,' I comment, turning to Cardin, only to find it's actually Corvus. Apparently appearing behind people is a trait that both these weirdos share; I didn't hear him or Wivern, and neither of them are small guys.

'A lot of places outside the Kingdoms are beautiful,' he says, moving up next to me. 'Unfortunately, they're places outside the Kingdoms. People who live there tend not to, frankly.'

'I know,' I reply, nettled.

'It's times like these I find the Grimm hard to stand,' Cardin says from my other side. He at least I heard coming, so I don't flinch off the edge of the cliff. 'They keep people trapped in the cities like – birds in a cage.'

'Some people don't mind that,' Corvus comments inscrutably.

'Of course not, because the alternative is getting killed by Grimm.' Cardin looks sad. 'They don't think places like this are worth dying for.'

We turn to stare at him. 'Maybe you should step back from the edge of the cliff,' I suggest, only barely serious.

'Maybe you should eat a dick,' Cardin says in a more relaxed tone. 'You gotta admit, man, this view is beautiful. Would you really want to spend your life in Vale staring at buildings if you knew this place existed?'

'Mm.' I turn to look out again, but as I do, something behind Cardin's head catches my eye. I freeze. Cardin's taller than me; if I'm looking him in the eye, then I'm looking up, and this time I've looked up and seen something… shiny? On the slope next to us, higher than we are. There's nothing there now… wait! The wind gusts, the trees shift, and something shiny glints once more.

'Hey, do you guys see that?' I ask, holding my arm up to show them where I'm pointing.

They turn. 'No,' Corvus says finally.

'Something's up there,' I insist. 'Wait for the wind, it'll gust and show you.'

We stand there for several moments, and I can't help but think how odd we must look: me with my mohawk, Cardin in his shiny armour, Corvus dressed like the maître-de of a fancy restaurant, staring at the slope of a mountain so untouched it might have been the way it is since the beginning of the world. Once again, I feel eternity, this time grinding us up like a mortar and pestle, leaving nothing but fine dust.

'I see it,' Corvus says, breaking the spell. 'Well spotted.'

I take a breath, feeling my head swim slightly. My stomach gives an odd lurch, and Cardin shoots me a concerned look. 'You alright?' he mutters.

I nod wordlessly, then catching Corvus' curious eye, I add, 'I'm fine. So what's the plan, old man? We going to see what it is?'

'Tempting,' Corvus says lightly, 'But maybe not. We need to – _did you just call me old again_?'

'Sorry, slipped out,' I mumble, looking around for an excuse to change the subject. It really did slip out: I'm finding it a lot easier to call him that than to call him Bran Corvus. 'So – not going up there?'

'I think not,'Corvus says coldly. 'Let's go back, it's time to relieve Sky and Dove anyway.'

I roll my eyes. He definitely prefers the other two.

* * *

We make it back to the bunker by lunchtime, but Corvus decides not to take Sky and Dove out after all. He instead begins to talk to the leader of the moles, trying to establish a schedule for visits up to the relay stations. He seems keen to get it out of the way, for some reason. Wivern's disappeared off to somewhere or other; according to Dove and Sky he was last seen striding into the forest with a belt of cartridges, a bottle of some golden liquid and a determined look on his face. Sky and Dove made the mutual tactical decision not to try and stop him. I can't blame them, to be honest.

Cardin and I take over sentry duty, and Sky and Dove go for a patrol around the bunker.

'They're really getting into the guard duty,' I comment to Cardin, watching them go.

'I think they're enjoying the chance to make their Semblances useful,' Cardin says. 'Sky feels like he's letting us down in combat, and Dove prefers the echolocation aspect of his powers more than the concussive element.'

'He hasn't actually used that on anyone before, has he,' I say idly, my mind wandering off to imagine what Dove's powers actually look like when applied to a living being. They were pretty impressive on wooden boards, but -

'You can't really speak to that.'

I stiffen. ' _Cardin_ –'

'Russel.' His tone is surprisingly gentle. 'How bad can your Semblance be?'

'It's not that it's bad,' I begin automatically. Then I pause. 'You know they say Semblances are the manifestation of your soul?'

'Of course.'

I turn to him. 'What does it mean, that I'm denying my Semblance?'

This gives Cardin pause for thought. 'I guess it means,' he begins uncertainly, 'That you want to – change yourself.'

'Weak answer,' I say scornfully, turning away. 'You can't change your soul.'

'You can change your perception of your soul,' Cardin says fiercely. ' _You_ told me that!'

'I don't remember that conversation.'

'Oh really? "If you think about it,"' he says in the worst imitation of a Vacuo accent I've ever heard, '"You can be really useful, you can use your Semblance to scare people and stop them fighting." That's what _you_ said, more or less. You told me not to think I was a, a thug. Now you're saying you were wrong?'

'…Using logic is cheating,' I mutter.

'You wouldn't let me see myself as a monster, Russel, I'm not going to let you do the same. And besides, I think you're right, I think denying a part of yourself can't be good for you.'

I don't respond, and he drops the subject, but as we pace around the roof my mind keeps returning to what he said. 'I don't know what I think anymore,' I sigh finally. 'Nothing makes sense. I feel like my mind's getting pulled in a million directions on a million dimensions at once.'

'Ok, if we're talking physics, then I'm out,' Cardin says.

I elbow him. 'Oh no. You do not get to start this conversation then bail on me. Dick move, bro.'

'I'm _listening_ ,' he protests. 'I was just trying to cheer you up.'

'I just don't know what to do,' I say frankly. 'It's like I'm being asked a question I can't quite hear, and I have no clue what the answer is or even should be. It's like–'

 _BOOOM!_ There's a thunderous explosion. A cloud of smoke rises into the air, the trees shudder, and Cardin and I spin around.

'The fuck?' I say. 'Oh God, Sky and Dove weren't in that, were they?'

Cardin hastily checks his scroll. 'No, they're not even close to that area. What was that?'

'Wivern,' I say, making it a curse. 'Gotta be. I'm going to go and kick him in the–'

'One of us needs to stay here and protect the workers,' Cardin says firmly. Man, Corvus' first scolding really made an impact on him. I'm getting the impression that Cardin wants to impress the guy, or at least make up for the disastrous scouting trip.

'I'll go, then,' I say. 'I'm faster.'

He hesitates, thinking for a moment, then nods. 'Go.'

I don't wait for him to think twice. As I jump off the roof, Cardin calls behind me, 'Call me if he needs medical assistance!'

He will when I reach him, that's for damned sure.

It isn't hard to find the crazy bastard; there's still a thick pillar of smoke rising into the air. I follow it like a compass needle, to find Wivern surveying a smoking crater with a look of deep dissatisfaction on his face.

'That,' he says, apparently registering my presence in some tiny corner of the cracked funhouse mirror that's his brain, 'is pathetic.'

'The fuck?' I demand, breathless and furious.

'I know! Should be twice as big!' He reaches for a bottle of golden liquid, now half full, that I recognise from Sky and Dove's worried description. Before he can pick it up, I dart in and grab it.

'Dude! You can't just set off explosions without telling anyone, we thought we were under attack!' I yell.

'How many Grimm use explosives, boy?' he demands, his tone taking that odd sharp left turn to a place in which sanity seems to reside. 'Who else could it be?'

'Well, what if Sky had his Semblance up?' I demand. 'You could have deafened him!'

He points a thick finger at me. 'You're not my mother, brother, wife or partner, boy. Give it back. _Now_.'

He's not joking around. With poor grace, I return his bottle to him. 'You're a shitty Huntsman to be shadowing, y'know?'

'Tough luck. I didn't even want you. I didn't even know you were coming. Blame Corvus.'

'Yeah, well, either way we didn't get a choice in it, did we?' I snap. 'So could you stop being such a dick?'

To my distinct relief, he tucks the bottle into his pocket and turns back to the bunker. 'Alright. Fine. I'll stop. Happy?'

'Fucking stellar,' I mutter rebelliously.

'You need to watch that attitude. One day it'll lead you off a cliff.'

'What a glorious flight that'd be,' I say without thinking.

'That a quote?' Wivern asks curiously. He seems to have forgotten to be angry at me, and now that I'm cooling down, I'm glad. He could snap me like a twig.

I shake my head silently in response to his question. I thought I was over this phase of spouting off random phrases. Violet called it the part of me that wanted to be a poet, struggling to get out. I called it justification for getting punched repeatedly for being a pretentious moron. I hadn't lapsed back into it – since she died, actually.

We emerge from the trees to find Corvus waiting for us with his arms crossed. 'Dragonfire,' he says curtly, holding his hand out. Wivern meekly passes him the bottle. 'Do _not_ ,' Corvus says, making sure the bottle's cap is tightly fastened, 'Scare the workers, please.'

'Need to check the components again anyway,' Wivern says with dignity. 'Crater wasn't big enough.'

'It was big enough to drive a car into,' I say.

'Narc,' Wivern says sociably.

'Pyro,' I retort without thinking.

Corvus massages his temple. 'Don't you have sentry duty to get back to?' he says to me.

'Sure, Old Man.'

' _Stop calling me old!_ '

* * *

 **This was a bit of an in-between chapter. Stuff will start happening next time, I promise.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Over lunch Corvus drops a bombshell on us.

'We're going up to the relay stations today,' he says briskly. He's gotten his hands on the sugar supplies and we were all watching in a kind of mesmerised, fascinated horror as the pile of dismembered paper packets just grew and grew beside his mug, but his word shake us back awake.

'I thought we weren't doing that for, like, a week,' I say. I hadn't been looking forward to it: I'm still never as comfortable in forests as I could be.

Corvus rolls his eyes. 'It was meant to be in three days. But you boys will only be shadowing me and Drake for another five days. I want to get it out of the way. If we leave now we'll get there before dark.'

'Ok,' Cardin says doubtfully. 'When do we leave?'

'Right after lunch,' Corvus says. 'Are your bags all packed?'

'We never unpacked them,' Dove says. 'We've been using them as pillows.'

'Good,' Corvus says, now spooning his coffee-sugar hybrid into his mouth like he's starving. Dude loves his sugar. 'Be ready to leave as soon as I'm done, then.' Sure. We can follow the trail of teeth that will probably have started falling from your head by then. Should be fun.

* * *

We assemble outside the bunker. Corvus wants to go over the formation with us. The workers are staying inside until the very last minute. In the past two days, I've finally come to learn why Corvus described them as 'not dangerous men' and why Wivern calls them 'moles': they are twitchy, shuddering people, who dive for cover at every loud noise and who refuse to leave the bunker until the only alternative is to be dragged out kicking and screaming by exasperated Hunters. And yet – they're _here_. Is that bravery? Is it a sort of bravery? They lose more people than any other occupation but Hunters, and they don't even have the same motivation that Hunters do. Danger is the point of Hunters. Without danger there'd be no need for us. In a very real way, danger is our lifeblood. For the technicians it's the exact opposite. Danger is the thing that kills them, that stops them from doing their job. They're still here though. That has to be bravery, or if not, at least bravery's mirror image.

'I'll go first,' Corvus says. 'Sky, I want you to scout our flanks. Use your Semblance, and keep moving. You're our best bet to catch any Grimm sneaking up on us.' Sky looks flattered. Being told he's the most useful one in the team is a real novelty for him. More than once, I've gotten the impression that he considers himself to be dead weight. That was another reason Cardin was so set on getting him a gun, I think. Now, though, he's crucial. 'Dove, I want you at our rear.' I wait for Dove to crack an immature smirk, but he looks pale and focused. 'You use you Semblance as well. If something happens, you can summon us pretty easily.' No kidding.

Corvus looks at Cardin and I. 'You boys will be with Drake, guarding the technicians. Cardin, you and Drake will _stay with the workers_. Russel, you're a lot more mobile, you try and intercept anything that comes at you before it reaches Cardin and Drake. Dove, if you and Sky hear them get into trouble, fall back and help them out. The workers are our top priority, boys. Never forget that.'

I feel the same thing that Cardin has felt since the beginning of the mission, finally: a weight, settling onto my shoulders. This is our job. It's a responsibility. We can't mess this up, we can't not take it seriously. If we fail, people die. I find myself nodding as sombrely as all the others.

Corvus looks at our faces and smiles brief approval. 'Let's get going, then.'

The workers file out, nervous and uncertain, blinking in the sunlight and clutching their toolkits like leather and metal would protect them from the Grimm. Wivern stands beside Cardin and me. His sunglasses still hide his eyes, but I'm sure from the set of his mouth that he's rolling his eyes at the workers.

'Corvus told you what was going on?' he asks to us in an offhand manner.

'Yep,' I say.

Corvus spies Wivern and trots over. 'I'm going to start out,' he says cheerfully. He looks like he's in a better mood than he has been for days. 'You get these two.'

'Should be fun. Fun to hang out. Actually I'm not going to talk to them,' Wivern decides. 'Not even a little bit.'

'Works for me, Boss,' I say, throwing him a salute. Cardin just laughs. I think he's decided that if he doesn't start laughing at Wivern he's going to start throttling the man. Considering the size of Wivern's neck, I'm sure it would take Cardin a while.

'God help us all,' Corvus mutters, turning away. 'Don't blow anything up.'

'No promises,' Wivern murmurs. Perhaps wisely, Corvus decides to ignore him.

The workers are in better shape than I expected, and we make good time. By mid-afternoon, we're more than halfway to the relay station and the technicians have actually started to relax. A few times we've had to caution them to keep their voices down. We may not have been attacked yet, but there's still no sense in being reckless. We don't stop for any breaks – that would absolutely count as being reckless – so when Sky bursts back through the trees with his eyes wide with panic, I'm almost glad: it's something to distract me from how hungry I am, at least.

'Beowolves,' he reports in a low voice to Cardin and Wivern. 'They got between me and Corvus, I don't know how. There's a whole pack–'

Wivern held up his hand and Sky stopped. 'Easy enough,' he says. 'Cardin. Take Russel. Go ahead. Kill 'em. Try to break through to Corvus. I'll stay here, and guard the workers. Sky stays too. He can warn us when they're getting close.'

'Couldn't we stay here and wait for them to come to us?' Cardin asks.

Wivern shakes his head. 'They'll draw more towards us,' he says in a low rumble. Trying not to worry the technicians, I decide. He's probably afraid they'll bolt. They're already shifting from foot to foot, looking terrified. 'This gives Dove time to catch up to us, too.' As if on cue, Dove appears from the trees, looking confused.

'Saw you had stopped,' he said breathlessly, referring to his Semblance.

'I'm a genius,' Wivern says with quiet satisfaction. 'Dove. Go with them. Clear the path.'

Cardin nods reluctantly. Sky looks relieved that someone's got a thought-out plan. 'You're the boss,' I say, trying to crush the nervousness I feel.

'Let's go,' Cardin orders us.

'Be careful,' Sky says to Dove, concern making his voice tight. Dove gives him a sweet smile.

'No time for that,' he says with cheerful regret.

* * *

We don't have to move far before we see the Beowolves. They come skulking towards us through the trees, following Sky's footsteps – following his scent? Who knows? I raise my weapons, but Cardin shakes his head and gestures at Dove.

'Use your Semblance,' he orders. 'We can summon Corvus back at the same time.'

Dove pales, realising this means he'll have to step out in front of us, but he does without complaint. 'Cover your ears,' he says. Cardin and I do so.

The lead Beowolf sees us and raises his head to howl. At the same time, Dove inhales. His chest balloons out, and then Dove _roars_.

I can only imagine what the poor workers are thinking. I can only pray Sky can keep them from bolting. Dove's Semblance sounds like some sort of hunting bird's screech, but deeper and somehow not as sharp. Standing behind him, with my hands pressed to my ears, I can still feel it, reverberating in my skull. It's not painful; just a strong, strong vibration. I know if I was in front of him, it would be another story entirely. Case in point: the Beowolves. All of them. Who I'm sure _used_ to have heads.

'Holy shit,' Cardin mutters, awestruck. I know how he feels. I'm considering apologising to Dove for every crack I ever made about him. Even the ones he didn't know about. Just to be safe.

'That was – the easiest fight we've ever been in,' I say, awestruck, sticking my blades back in my belt. 'Shit, man, we could have used _that_ against Nikos.' On the other hand, if releasing Rapier wasps is taking things too far, making her head explode arguably falls into the same category.

Dove turns to grin at me, then his face changes to an expression of panic. 'Russel, behind you!'

There are some rules that are universal. A bomb tech at a run outranks a general. That sort of thing. A Hunter who's just blown the heads off a dozen Beowolves with his voice telling you in a tone of fear that there's something behind you? Don't stop to find out what it is. _Move._ I throw myself into a forwards somersault, low to the ground, and am rewarded by the swish of air as a massive claw swipes through the space my head just was.

I twist, coming up in a sliding crouch, and Cardin steps up beside me and swings Augusta Nave as hard as he could. The Beowolf lets out a snarl that iscut out with a meaty thud as Augusta Nave connects with its snout. It falls back, totally silent.

We stand there, back to back. Dove clears his throat, and makes an odd little peeping noise. The echolocation aspect of his power. I can't help laughing: it's such a contrast to the concussive element. He does it several more times, then shakes his head. 'They're gone.'

'I'll say,' I say, back to being impressed by Dove's Semblance. 'Holy hell, man. That was mad.'

'ARE YOU IDIOTS?'

We all spin with our weapons up. Corvus steps out from behind a tree and he. Is. _Pissed._ 'You just drew the attention of every single Grimm in a two-mile radius!' he snarls. 'And that's if we're _lucky_!'

Cardin flushes with anger as Dove's face falls. 'It was my decision and I don't regret it,' he snaps, goaded beyond the respect he was holding for this man. 'If you don't like how we fight, then you should have given us more specific orders.'

Corvus grits his teeth, then nods curtly. 'You're right. I'm sorry, Dove. You did very well. We'll have to pick up the pace, though. Russel, go and fetch the others.'

I look at Cardin for confirmation, just to be irritating. Cardin gives me a look that tells me to stop being irritating, so I throw Corvus a lazy salute. 'Sure, Old Man.'

Corvus' wordless snarl of rage trails me into the trees.

The funny thing is, me calling him Old Man? That's not me being a brat. That's me finally having stumbled across a name I can call him without tripping over my tongue in the process. If I have to call him by a name that I know isn't really his, then why not Old Man? That it annoys him is admittedly a perk.

I crash through the trees at a sprint and am almost taken out by Wivern's fist. I let out a manly yip and duck, rolling like a cannonball to crash into the base of a tree.

'The fuck!' I yell, getting back to my feet.

Wivern shrugs. 'Don't charge armed men. Good life lesson for you.'

'Why didn't Sky tell you it was me?'

'Sorry,' Sky calls over. 'I couldn't be sure it was you from over here.' He's on the other side of the workers, scanning the trees. The eight workers regard me with disfavour. Clearing they're wondering what they did to deserve idiots like this guarding them.

'The Grimm are dead,' I say. 'The Old Man wants us to get moving.'

'That was quick,' Wivern comments.

'Dove?' Sky asks, looking over at me.

'Dove,' I agree. 'You ever seen what his Semblance does to Grimm? It's mad.'

Sky grins proudly. 'No, I haven't. Good on him.'

The workers are looking a little more relaxed, now. Sure, they're in a death-forest surrounded by nightmares, but at least some of the nightmares are on their side, even if they do spend their time snarking at each other.

'Hey, Boss, how far are we from the relay station anyway?' I call to Wivern.

Wivern thinks for a moment. 'Hour or so. Less if we move faster.'

Sky turns to the workers, since I suspect he'd rather use Alouette on himself before he lets Wivern or me be the spokesman for our team. 'Alright. We're an hour away from the relay station. We can cut that down if we keep moving. Stay together, and keep an eye out.'

They mumble a chorus of assent, none of them meeting our eyes. This is going to be a long trip. Chill, Russel. Not trained to kick Ursai to death, remember? Give them a break. Even if they are creepy little moles.

I turn to find Sky's eyes on me. I blush, knowing he was probably completely aware of my thought processes. He doesn't comment, though; he just rolls his eyes and jerks his head, telling me to get moving. I grin despite myself: hanging out with Dove really has given him a massive tolerance for stupid shit.

Corvus does not trust us on our own anymore, it seems. He travels with us for the rest of the trip, conferring with Wivern in a low voice. We're attacked by Grimm on three other occasions, the last two happening within moments of each other. Sky is able to give us ample warning, but each time he does, Corvus carefully doesn't give us _I told you so_ looks. Dove is looking like he's kicked a puppy to death by the end of it. Sky and I no doubt look like we want to kick Corvus to death. Cardin divides his attention between us, ready to step in if need be.

The relay station is, you guessed it, another bunker. This one isn't as elaborate, though. It's basically just a concrete shed with a few interior walls, bored into the mountainside, set behind several metal fences. There's a trap door on the roof; several of them.

'The fences are just there to slow the Grimm down, really,' Wivern comments. 'Make 'em an easier target, you know.'

'Got it.'

The workers have fled gratefully into the bunker. Cardin turns to Corvus and Wivern. 'So are we going up to the station now?' he asks, working to keep a tone of respect in his voice. It's an uphill struggle, I can tell.

Corvus shakes his head. 'It's far too close to dark. You don't go out at night up here. We're not going to patrol, either. We get in the bunker, lock the door, and don't come out until morning.'

* * *

That night we dine with the workers, listening to them discuss previous trips up to the relay station. They carefully avoid stories about Grimm attacks. These are stories about how that one guy spilled punch almost all over the keyboard, or how another guy secretly got hammered. All of these are cautionary tales. What would be funny in civilisation is a campfire ghost story up here.

We go to bed early, and I sleep like a log –

\- right up to the point that Cardin shakes me awake.

'Suh?' I slur, seizing Octantis.

Cardin catches my wrist before I can put his eye out. 'Sky just woke me,' he whispers. I can see shapes moving behind him, and hear the quiet clanking of Dove and Sky securing their armour. 'It's just after midnight. Corvus and Wivern are gone.'


	19. Chapter 19

**This is where it starts getting really grim (no pun intended). I cannot warn you enough.**

 **Chapter Ninteen**

'Gone? Gone where?'

'We don't know,' Cardin says. 'Sky woke up and didn't hear them breathing. He had a look and one of the workers admits to letting them out. He said that they said that they were going scouting.'

'But they said not to go out at night,' I say, pulling my boots on.

'Exactly,' Cardin agrees tensely. 'So I'm thinking at least one thing they said wasn't true apart from their names.'

'So what's the plan, then?'

'Sky thinks he can track them.'

'Sky's Semblance is a lot more useful than I realised,' I mumble out loud.

Cardin flashes me a quick grin and drops his voice. 'If he starts up about not pulling his weight again, I'm going to just start laughing.'

We arm and armour ourselves. The worker who let Wivern and Corvus out is waiting for us by the main trapdoor. As we clamber out into the moonlight, Cardin stops at the bottom of the ladder to have a word with him. 'Keep an ear out,' he says in a low tone. 'We'll call for you to let us in.'

The worker gives us a nervous nod and Cardin claps him on the shoulder. 'Cheer up! We'll let you sleep in tomorrow, I swear.'

The guy actually does cheer up, giving us a startled grin as he closes and bolts the door behind us. Sleep was clearly the last thing on his mind: the fact that we seem to think we'll be back to regulate it really lifts his spirits, you can tell. Cardin's getting good at this leadership thing.

In the moonlight, Sky closes his eyes and raises his head. For an awful moment I'm reminded of the Ursa who attacked us in the Forest of Forever Fall. Sky sniffs the air, opens his eyes and looks at the ground, and points to the north. 'That way.'

We set out in total silence. Without discussion, Sky falls into point position, Dove right behind him, Cardin behind him, me at the rear. All I can hear is the muffled sound of our progress through the forest. All I can see is black shadows shot through with white moonlight, and my team passing from one to the other.

We don't ask any questions. At this point, I think we all trust Sky to mention it if there are any Grimm in the neighbourhood. We travel in silence for almost fifteen minutes before Sky comes to a halt and points at a cliff face. 'They're in there.'

We stare at it for a few moments before Cardin asks the obvious. 'In where?'

'Oh right, you guys can't see in the dark.' Ok, don't get smug there, Sky-boy. He doesn't seem to be, thankfully: he just steps up and disappears into what looked like a space between two fallen rocks and what turns out to be a tunnel. We follow him without hesitation.

I'm lying. Tunnel implies something deliberate. This is a crack in the rock, not anything manmade. The walls are rough and jagged and several times Cardin's armour gets caught. I have to wonder how Wivern, who's even broader than Cardin, managed. With great difficulty, I expect. The passage is fairly straight, it doesn't twist and turn, but stuck at the back, I can't see where it ends up until Cardin manages to stagger into the open like a cork from a champagne bottle. I follow him with no little relief, and find myself standing in a gently-curving corridor.

'What is this place?' Dove mutters, voicing what every single one of us is thinking.

This is definitely manmade, there's no doubt about that. The walls are as smooth as natural rock can be made, and the floor is even smoother. Overhead there are sockets for lights, with wires running down the hallway. The entire place is covered with dust. It smells odd: musty and sharp.

Sky is staring at the floor. 'They went that way,' he whispers, pointing to the left.

We follow him. We're moving even more slowly than we were in the crevice, if that's possible. For some reason, none of us want to be here. I don't have to ask to realise that. All of us are looking around, beset by some creeping sense of dread.

The corridor turns a corner. Now it's running straight, with doors set in each wall. There's another corner a few metres away. The doors all have barred windows in them, and I peer through one. 'This is a cell,' I say softly. It has to be: the rusted remains of a bed and nothing else? What could it be? With a barred window. There's something on the far wall, though – some writing. I squint, then decide I'm being an idiot. 'Hey Sky, come see if you can make this out.'

He steps over and peers in. '"All men walk one path."' His voice is low and husky.

'"All men walk one path"? What does that even mean?' I turn to the others and start to say something else, but the look on Sky's face stops me.

It's – heartbreak.

'I know where we are,' he says, forgetting to lower his voice.

'Hopefully you're the only ones,' a familiar voice says at the end of the passageway.

We drop into combat-stance, our weapons up and ready. Corvus ignores it; he's too busy frowning at us. 'What the hell are you doing here, anyway?'

'What are _you_ doing here?' Cardin yells. 'What the fuck is this place? I swear to God, if you don't start giving us answers…'

'You'll what?' Corvus demands sarcastically.

Cardin doesn't back down. 'You've lied to us from the beginning. We don't even know your real names. I want to know who you are and I want to know _why you're here_!'

He didn't expect us to know their names are false. I can read that on his face. I can also pick the moment he decides to dial the situation down. 'You knew we were lying to you about our names. Was that you, Sky?' His voice is non-confrontational, but Sky doesn't answer.

Corvus is clearly thinking this out as he goes. 'You knew we were lying, but you kept doing what you were told. Because you knew we weren't lying about anything else. So basically, since you knew our names were false you could tell that us being the Hunters you were assigned to shadow was true.'

We don't lower our weapons.

Corvus sighs. 'I can't tell you any details.' Cardin glances at Sky; out of the corner of my eyes, I see Sky nod slightly. Corvus notices too, and rolls his eyes. 'This was a mission Wivern and I were given,' he continues. 'I won't say it's official, because the government doesn't know about it. But it is a legitimate mission nonetheless. Wivern and I aren't working against any of the Kingdoms. We're trying to help, even if they might not see it that way. We aren't here to harm anyone and our actions here won't lead to anyone being harmed.' Sky nods again, and we all finally lower our weapons.

'Alright, but what is this place?' Cardin repeats.

A shadow crosses Corvus' face. 'You boys surely know of the Great War.'

'Duh,' I agree impatiently.

'A war that was about the very idea of individualism itself.' That's not Corvus; that's _Sky_ , quoting that speech Ozpin gave before we left on our mission. I turn to stare at him. He's looking at the ground, and he looks sickened. 'A war that was launched against artists and poets and painters… This is where they brought them. This is one of the Pits.'

It takes a moment for it to hit me. When it does, I want to throw up.

People say that the Great War started innocently enough. They just asked the artists to stop doing what they were doing. The artists couldn't see a good reason to. Then They stopped asking so nicely. By the end, They had become monsters. Nobody knows how many people They made disappear. It was only after the War that places like this even came to light. The Pits. The places where They took the artists and left them to die, when They didn't take more active steps to make it happen.

Somewhere, somewhere close, there'll be the pit this place is named for. After about eighty years, all it will hold are bones.

'Oh God,' Dove chokes.

'I didn't know there was a Pit up here,' Cardin says. He's clearly just talking: his face is as numb with disgust as the rest of us and he's wiping his free hand on his armour, as if trying to get it clean. 'Usually they're – they're kind of famous…'

'Nobody did,' Corvus says. 'We just came up here to look around for White Fang.' Even horrified, Sky nods. Still doing his duty to the team: clinging to it, if I had to guess, a rock of normalcy in a sea of inherited grief and horror. 'We think that the Fang found this place and decided it would be a good _base_.' His voice darkens on the final words, and I feel a surge of rage that stuns me. That anyone would do that to this place… I want to kill the Fang. I want to watch them burn. I want them to regret ever stepping foot in here.

'That metal,' I say, forcing my mind back into gear. 'That thing I saw–'

'Part of what looks like a mini-relay station,' Corvus agrees. 'The Fang let without cleaning out their mess.'

'So – what now?' Cardin asks helplessly.

There's a loud clattering noise behind Corvus and I realise something else. 'Where's Wivern?'

Corvus casts an antsy look over his shoulder. 'Well – remember how I told you boys that Grimm can be attracted to a place because of lingering negativity?'

None of us like where this is going. 'Yes,' Dove says slowly.

Corvus flings himself into a sudden forwards somersault, twisting and coming up facing the passage behind him. His hand twists out to the side and his staff appears, clicking out to its full length in a surprisingly ominous noise. Without pausing he twirls it overhead and brings it cracking down onto the snout of the Beowulf who appears in the doorway, nose tilted up, sniffing the air.

It recoils with a howl, which sets off what I can kid myself is an echo for less than a second.

'Let me phrase it like this,' Corvus says grimly. 'Have you had a chance to wonder why the White Fang left such a perfect, pre-made base in the first place?'

* * *

None of us _have_ to wonder. The underground compound has come alive in the worst possible way. Without another word Cardin steps up beside Corvus and activates his fire crystal. A gout of flame spurts off down the corridor, illuminating what must be a pack of Beowolves, all charging towards the narrow door.

'Fall back!' Corvus orders.

'What about your partner?' Dove asks.

'He can fend for himself, now fall back!'

We retreat back to the curving corridor, me and Sky, then Cardin, with Dove and Corvus bringing up the rear. Dove fires at the Beowolves as he goes and so does Corvus: apparently his staff is the sort of rifle-type deal that Rose has and that Sky wanted to install. The narrow corridor is working to our advantage: they can only come at us a few at a time, but there are so _many_ of them. Sky is sprinting along beside me, but his face is so empty. He's in deep shock, I think, deep enough that not even freaking Grimm will snap him out of it. I just hope he can fight.

We pass the crevice and keep going. There's no way we'd all fit in there in time. The corridor curves out of sight. The dust muffles all sound. There's very little light. This is the most surreal experience of my life. I feel like I'm in a video game, but this is real life. This is a place where people died and if I can't get my head back in the game (no pun intended) my team and I will soon be joining them.

The corridor stops in a T-junction. 'Left or right?' I bellow over my shoulder, skidding to an uncertain stop.

Before Corvus can answer, a shadow stirs in the darkness at the end of the left-hand corridor, and a King Taijitu raises its heads. 'Not left, not left!' I yell to my team, who's reached the junction. They hesitate, Dove still firing at the Beowolves, trying to hold them off. Corvus grabs Sky and Cardin and thrusts them down the righthand passage. 'Move, go! Russel,' he says to me, his voice deadly serious. 'How fast can you run?'

I shoot him a look. 'What are you thinking, Old Man?'

He grins briefly. 'That I'm not going to have any sleepless nights leaving you here, if you keep calling me old.' He grabs my shoulder and points at the King Taijitu. 'I want that thing angry, Russel. I have every faith in your ability to achieve that.'

I twist my head to stare at him again. 'You really hate being called old, don't you?'

'Fall back when I tell you to.' He turns to Dove and starts issuing more instructions that I don't overhear, then he runs back the way we came.

Well, I can't let the Old Man show me up. I charge the King Taijitu, fully aware that this is the stupidest thing I've done in my life, unable to help being excited despite that.

It sees me coming and hisses a challenge with both heads. I speed up, knowing they'll hit at me one at a time. The black head lunges, and I throw myself into the air, landing on the back of its skull and rolling down its neck. It twists, trying to bite me; I grab its fang, swing myself between its open jaws and land on the other side as its mouth snaps shut two seconds too late.

The white head is waiting for me; I duck out of the way at the last minute and it ploughs its own head into the floor. The black head, enraged, lunges at me over its brother's back, and I somersault under the white head's body. The black head turns to follow me under the white half of its body, so I kick the white head in the eye, and it rises into the air and swerves back, setting up the beginning of a glorious knot.

They're totally enraged. I could keep this up all day. I can see it, too, in my mind's eye: all the moves I would have to make to create a twisting, writhing cat's cradle of King Taijitu. But somewhere behind me, I hear Corvus yelling 'Russel! FALL BACK! FALL BACK!'

I give the furious heads an ironic salute, flip into the air, and use the black head's next lunge to catapult me down the hallway. Corvus is waiting for me just beyond the T-junction; I can't see the rest of my team beyond him. I hit the floor running, feeling the walls shake as the King Taijitu powers after me. I pass the T-junction, get a horrifying glimpse out of the side of my eye of a Beowolf lunging for me at the head of the pack –

\- then I'm beyond the intersection, and Corvus has seized my arm and flung me clear, turning the motion into a twirl, bringing his staff to rest, fully extended, across the corridor like a diagonal boom-gate. The Beowolf pack skids into view and is promptly and universally flattened by the enraged King Taijitu, which hits Corvus' staff, sending it and its wielder skidding back a pace, striking sparks off the wall of the corridor, and then the Grimm slams to a sickening halt. All in the space of a heartbeat.

'Holy shit, Old Man,' I breathe, my eyes wide, watching what has to be the most precise use of Aura I've ever seen. Nobody is that strong without it. Hell, most people aren't that strong with it.

Corvus glances over his shoulder and grins at me. 'Kid, you ain't seen nothing yet. Now fall back.' He turns to face the recovering King Taijitu. 'I need space to work.' I back up with a vengeance. The King Taijitu is recoiling, both heads hissing with fury until it sounds like a wind blowing through the complex. Corvus shrinks then re-extends his staff to get it clear of the walls. It's left gouges in the rock, I note idly. Of course it has. What the hell else?

The heads lunge as one, the black head going to take Corvus, the white head aiming to go past him – to me. I take a step back, but Corvus spins his staff overhand and slams the black head into the ground. It doesn't get up again. The white head twists, aiming to crush Corvus against the wall, but Corvus sets the butt of his staff against the wall and then leaps clear. There's what sounds like a gunshot, and Corvus lands, holds his hand out, and catches his staff as it shoots its way through the King Taijitu's skull.

'Old Man, when I grow up, I want to be you,' I say, more sincere than I've ever been in my life. Corvus grins.

'Let's work on growing up, first.' He twirls his staff and cocks it. 'Now. Let's go catch up with your friends.'

* * *

 **Corvus' real name is Badass. Or is that his bloodtype? Or is it both? Both. Definitely both.**

 **They never give you any real information about the Great War. It's the reason behind the festival, but they don't tell you who it was between. Hence the anonymous They I've been using. I'm going to go into what I imagine are its motivations more next chapter, but I won't try and identify the other side.**


	20. Chapter 20

**For reference, the events of Breach happened while CRDL was travelling up to the relay station.**

 **Chapter Twenty**

We find my team around the next corner. Cardin is guarding the corridor ahead and Dove is guarding the way they came. We almost get shot before he sees it's us. I suppose wearing dark colours in a tunnel-complex full of Grimm is a bad idea.

'Russel!' Cardin says with deep relief. 'You ok?'

Apart from a raging inferiority complex, 'I'm fine. Are you guys ok?' Sky still has a shattered look in his eyes, but he's present, at least.

'We keep hearing explosions,' Cardin begins.

'Wivern,' Corvus says, sounding not at all surprised. 'Are they getting closer?'

Sky shakes his head slowly. Corvus frowns. 'He's stuck,' he mutters to himself. 'Brainless fool, let himself get pinned down…'

Beneath the snark I can hear worry. I wonder for a moment if I sound like that when I talk about Cardin. Nah.

'So what's the plan?' Cardin asks briskly.

'Find Wivern and an exit, in that order,' Corvus says.

'He's down there,' Sky says, pointing. 'And there are Grimm converging on his location.'

'How many?' Corvus asks, looking worried.

Sky shrugs. 'A lot. I mean, enough that I can't distinguish their footsteps to count them.'

'Alright, then. Russel, you and I take point. Cardin, you and Dove watch our rear. Sky, you're our guide.'

We set off at a quick lope, ears and eyes open. The compound seems to be deserted, but there are tracks in the thick dust on the floor that show the passage of Grimm – more Grimm than I can remember ever having seen. Is this why we had such an easy initiation? Were we saving up our bad luck for this place? I remember sneering at RWBY and JNPR, for having so much trouble with Grimm. What sort of idiot couldn't avoid Grimm? Now I feel the awful irony settling in as we charge towards a concentration of the things that makes the Emerald Forest seem like a charming little nature reserve.

'Head in the game,' Corvus murmurs.

'Sure, Old Man,' I say, but I'm still thinking, my mind still running, thinking back to initiation. Xiao Long had to deal with two Ursai, apparently; Rose and Schnee got attacked by a pack of Beowolves after they had a massive fight. Arc and Nikos were fine until they stuck a torch in a Deathstalker's face, and Lie Ren got attacked by a King Taijitu, for which he blamed Valkyrie, because she had landed right above it and he thought she had woken it up…

Son of a bitch.

'Hey, what if Wivern isn't moving on purpose?' I say suddenly. 'What if he's luring the Grimm in? The explosions –'

'Are to get their attention,' Corvus agrees. 'I know. He's luring them towards him so that I had a chance to find you boys before you got hurt. Unfortunately all this means is that he's surrounded by Grimm that he won't be able to kill until he knows that we're alright. So we'll find him and let him know he can stop holding back.'

'He's been _holding back_?' Sky blurts. 'But – explosions –'

'Honestly, by Wivern's standards, these barely count,' Corvus says with a grin. 'Wait until you see what he can really do.'

'You can't blow this place up,' Sky exclaims. 'You can't just destroy it!'

'We're not,' Corvus assures him. He's barely even breathing heavily. He's in good shape for an old guy. 'The rock in these mountains keeps eroding into natural caverns. Wivern set up in one that formed after the Pit was abandoned. We can bring that down and leave the Pit untouched.'

I wonder how much of that is true. Still, it'd be a sucker who'd try to lie to Sky, knowing what his Semblance is.

We round the corner and come out onto a ledge. Corvus throws his arm out to catch me, but I'm already skidding to a stop. 'Habit, Old Man?' I ask, glancing down at his arm, which is thrown out at stomach height.

He looks embarrassed. 'I'm used to having to catch someone a lot shorter than you,' he says sheepishly, his eyes searching the scene below.

It's like hell; a rough-walled cavern, full of a seething mass of black monsters, lit by random explosions. On the opposite side of the cavern from us, Wivern is standing his ground with his bazooka, but he has clearly set up booby traps also: charging Grimm will step on an innocent-looking piece of ground and be gone the next minute in a flash of light and thunder that throws blood-red shadows over the wall.

'How can he get to us?' Cardin asks, moving up next to us.

Corvus doesn't respond for a moment. 'He can't,' he says finally. 'We have to get to him. He's rigged this cavern to blow, see?' He points to wires running along the walls. 'There's an escape route of some kind behind him. If we can get to him we can get out that way.'

We all look down into the Grimm-filled cavern.

'Should be fun,' Dove says cheerfully.

'There is something very, very wrong with you,' I say flatly.

'I'm an optimist.'

'Yep, that'd be it.'

'No sense dilly-dallying, boys,' Corvus says. 'We've got the element of surprise. I won't tell you what route to take; if you don't know by now then I'm really not sure what you're doing here.'

'Well, see, we were meant to be shadowing these two guys and they turned out to be massive dicks,' Dove begins.

'If you've got breath to talk, you're not running fast enough,' Corvus says. 'Get ready, and try not to step on a bomb.'

We all tense, ready to charge. 'Before we go,' Corvus adds softly, 'I'd just like to say that I think you'll all make sterling Huntsmen.'

'Don't get soft on us, Old Man,' I say.

'If you've got breath to gush…' Cardin adds.

'I take it back,' Corvus says with a grin. 'You're a bunch of brats. Now _go_!'

We leap off the ledge and I bite back a desperate urge to let out a whoop of exhilaration. The ground is only a few metres below us, and I hit it running. Sky and Dove strike to the left, intending to skirt the massive herd of Grimm. Cardin charges through the centre, trusting to his armour to protect him. I run beside him, ready to dodge. Corvus has disappeared to somewhere or other.

For a long moment the Grimm don't realise we're there, and we use this to sprint past them like we're running through a crowded hall at Beacon. As Grimm turn to see what we are we're already gone, weaving through the crowd, trying not to show our backs to them. I use my agility to watch our rear, ready to keep anything from reacting, trusting Cardin to clear a path for us. We're approaching the centre of the cavern, where the Grimm are thickest. This is mad. This is suicidal. This is exactly what I hoped being a Huntsman would be.

There's a massive explosion ahead of us and Cardin and I dodge into a space where only a moment ago, a giant deathstalker stood. An ursa swings at me and I leap over it, not bothering to try and kill it. It would be like trying to cut a snowflake – ultimately pointless because there are so damn many of them. Another ursa decides to try for Cardin, but I turn my leap into a somersault and kick it out of the way. As I land a beowolf charges, but Cardin brings Augusta Nave around in a low swing and knocks it back. Again, not a killing stroke; just intended to make space for us.

Corvus flashes by in the corner of my eye and I realise he's actually running across the Grimm, as if they were stepping stones. His staff is flat disk of red, blurring so fast it seems like he's holding a solid object instead of a thin stick, and shots are cracking out through the cavern. He's using the momentum to propel himself, and direct himself, and I'm reminded of Rose, using her scythe to get around.

More explosions ring out to the side, and as I flip into the air I see Dove and Sky scrambling over a rockfall that cleared the Grimm from their path. Corvus makes the cavern wall and turns to check on us. The Grimm have realised we're here, now; we've lost the element of surprise, but their numbers are actually playing in our favour. A deathstalker turns on us and tramples an ursa; a beowolf snarls as a creeper shunts it out of the way. I slide under the deathstalker's shell and drive Polaris into its unprotected belly, and as it crashes to the ground Cardin leaps over its back, high into the air, out of reach of the Grimm.

An ursa rears up in front of me and I fall back with a yelp. Cardin brings Augusta Nave onto its head and offers me his hand. I accept it and he pulls me up onto the shell of the deathstalker.

'This is harder than I thought,' he comments, winded, gesturing at the teaming sea of Grimm around us.

I grin. 'You're not having fun?'

Cardin grins right back, the confidence that made him a bully shining out of his eyes, tempered by experience and maturity into a confidence in himself and in me. 'I never said _that_.'

Corvus, Wivern, Dove and Sky are waving and gesturing at us, unable to understand why we aren't moving. I look at them, then ask Cardin, 'Is this what you imagined it'd be like?'

'Nah,' Cardin says. 'There aren't enough girls. And I always thought my partner would be like me.'

'A jerk jock in shiny armour, you mean?'

'Yeah, with an actual weapon. Instead I got some mopey poet.'

'Fuck you.'

'Eat a dick.' He wipes the sweat from his forehead. 'This is a weird place to have this conversation.'

'We should probably go. Sky and Dove are yelling at us.'

'We won't make it if we keep this up,' Cardin says firmly. 'But I have a plan.'

I raise an eyebrow at him. 'Really?'

'Don't sound so surprised,' he says, irritated. 'I'm going to need your fire Dust. I'll replace it, I swear.'

'Ok, _why_?' I ask slowly. My fire Dust is the chamber I use the least; he can have it… as soon as he tells me why.

'I'm going to use my Semblance.'

My mouth drops open. 'Uh–'

'And you're going to run for it while I do.'

'Like hell!'

'That wasn't a suggestion,' he adds.

'I'm not leaving you here!' I bark.

'Don't make me call you a pussy,' Cardin says with a grin. 'Come on, Russel, I know what I'm doing. Trust me.'

Well, I can't say no now. Not when he's made it about trust. Dick. 'If you die, I'm going to kill you,' I warn him.

'Fair deal. Get moving.'

I crouch, then shoot him one last look. 'Seriously, man. I'm not going to lose another one.'

'I'll live, Russel,' Cardin says impatiently. 'Cross my heart and hope to d– uh…'

'You're a moron,' I sigh.

'Yeah, well,' Cardin shrugs. 'You're the fool who stuck with me. Now GO!'

I launch myself into the air, tuck my feet, and launch myself off of Augusta Nave as Cardin swings, giving it everything he's got. The effort sends me soaring over the heads of the Grimm clamouring around the deathstalker corpse. When I land I'm more than halfway to the others.

That's when Cardin activates his Semblance.

I don't feel it; his control, for once, is perfect. But every single Grimm in the area turns, like nails drawn to a magnet, and converge on him. Water flowing into a sinkhole, sand flowing into a depression; they all move towards him in a perfect, synchronise charge.

I reach the cavern wall and leap. For a moment my feet scrabble for purchase, then Wivern grabs the neck of my jumper and hoists me up to join the others.

'What is going on?!' Dove yells.

'Cardin has a plan.' The words are weak but my voice is strong as I turn to look at my partner, the epicentre of a swarm of Grimm. As I watch, he raises his mace and brings it crashing down. The next minute, there's an explosion that makes Wivern's look like pocket change. The walls tremble, rocks fall, and Sky, Dove and I are knocked off our feet.

'Alright, time to go,' Wivern says, hauling Sky and Dove to their feet.

'No, we need to wait for Cardin,' I yell.

'Cardin just brought the cave down,' Corvus yells. 'We need to leave.'

He's right; more and more rocks are dropping from the roof, faster and faster, pattering like rain. There's an ominous rumbling coming from all around us.

'Go,' I say. 'I'll catch up.' Not again. Not again. I can't lose another one. Not again. Not again.

'I hear him!' Sky yells. He closes his eyes and points, not even noticing when Dove yanks him out of the way of a falling boulder that shears off half our platform. 'He's coming!'

He's not coming fast enough.

I leap back into the cavern, jerking and swerving to avoid the falling rocks, stumbling as the ground lurches, coughing as the dust catches the back of my throat.

'LEFT!' a massive voice booms. Dove. Dove, steering me to my partner, passing on the directions Sky must be giving him. I veer left, and hear him add, 'NOT YOU, CARDIN! CARDIN GOES RIGHT, RUSSEL GOES LEFT!'

The dust is making it hard to see, and the explosion did a number on Cardin's armour, so I don't find him so much as I do crash into him. Normally I'd be sent bouncing of his chest, but this time he crashes over.

'Are you ok?' I ask anxiously, hauling him to his feet.

He groans. 'I'm fine.'

He doesn't look fine. I grab his arm and sling it over my shoulder, then reach out and touch his neck. My Semblance activates, and his Aura stirs in response. He blinks, looks around, then looks at me. 'What did you do?'

'NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO STOP AND CHAT!' Dove bellows.

He's right. We take off running through the cave. I'm limping, now, and my chest aches. I'm falling behind. Cardin, beside me, shoots me a confused look, then without breaking stride he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

We make it to the ledge and Wivern once more hauls me up like a naughty puppy. Cardin gains the high ground himself with ease. There's no time to talk; Corvus and Wivern bundle us all down the narrow passage. Another natural fault in the stone, this one leading out to –

'Son of a bitch!' I splutter as we hit the icy river. It's full of what Sky later tells me is snowmelt; all I know is it feels like every inch of my body is screaming at me.

Cardin tows me to the bank and helps me out of the water. I'm moving like an old man, stiff and sore. 'What happened?' Dove asks anxiously. 'Cardin, are you ok?'

'I'm fine,' Cardin says. Before he can get anything else out, there's a massive, drawn out rumble, and as we watch, half of a mountain drops away, into the river, sending a massive spout of water into the air.

'Holy shit,' I mumble. 'That's got to be some kind of record.'

'Russel, what did you do?' Cardin demands.

I take a deep, experimental breath. My ribs are broken for sure. I might have some internal bleeding. Considering I'm seeing two of everything, likely a concussion, too. Whiplash, definitely damage to my ears… I should be grateful Cardin wears so much armour, otherwise I'd be bleeding from a dozen shrapnel wounds.

'That was – a really shitty plan,' I say, my legs giving out from under me.

Sky and Cardin catch me and lower me to the ground. 'What happened?' Sky asks anxiously.

I take a breath to explain and groan. 'Cardin – blast,' I manage. 'Blown to – hell.' I wish I could make out the expressions on their faces. 'Semblance.'

'This is your Semblance?' Sky exclaims, looking from Cardin's battered armour to my pale face. 'You – you copy injuries?'

'He takes them,' Cardin says, his voice low. 'He takes other people's injuries on himself.'

'They don't actually – damage me,' I gasp. 'I won't – die.'

'We need to get back to camp,' Corvus says, his voice not unkind. 'Can he walk?'

'Hang – on,' I manage to get out. 'Help me up.'

'I don't think–' Sky begins.

Cardin ignores him, pulling me into a sitting position. I take another breath, ignoring the stab of pain, and reach out for my Aura.

I lied, to Cardin. Unless I'm actively suppressing them, injuries I absorb with my Semblance will kill me. If I suppress them, though, I can lift that gradually, allowing a tiny bit of damage to leak out into my body. That gets healed naturally, and I release the next bit, trace by trace, until they're all gone. I can work up a hell of a debt, but what the hell. I heal quick.

My Aura manifests as a bright, poisonous green. It shines extra bright for a moment over those areas of the body where the injuries occurred, then disappears, along with the pain. I get to my feet, limber as ever, and force a grin on my face. 'Ta da!'

Cardin punches me in the face.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

'I can't believe you hit him,' I hear Dove mutter to Cardin.

'Shut up,' Cardin whispers back.

I glance across at Sky and roll my eyes. Sky gives me a severe look. I sigh.

Corvus insisted on keeping in formation as we travel back to the bunker. He's trying to restore normalcy, I think. He's not doing well. Cardin is stalking along at the rear of the group, fuming. Sky is hovering protectively beside me. I don't know whether he's worried I'm going to collapse or whether he's worried Cardin is going to try and murder me. Dove is walking alongside Cardin. He's definitely worried that Cardin is going to try and murder me.

'Look, I didn't lie to you,' I say, turning and walking backwards, trying to catch Cardin's eye. He stares resolutely past me. 'It just – it was never relevant!'

'You didn't think it was relevant that your Semblance is breaking out in _gashes_?' Cardin snarls, finally looking at me.

'It's not like–'

'You should be quiet,' Corvus says. 'Both of you.'

'Fuck off,' I say, swivelling for a moment then turning to Cardin. 'It's not like I can use it for anything, alright?'

'You _just_ used it to save Cardin,' Dove says, forgetting to pretend to be deaf and dumb for a moment.

'Yeah, and I almost got pulverised,' I point out.

'I know you're all excited you got to destroy a mountain but now is not the place to have this conversation,' Corvus says impatiently.

We all ignore him. 'That's exactly it!' Cardin explodes. 'You have a Semblance that puts you at a huge risk and you didn't tell us! What would have happened if you had used it and I hadn't realised anything was wrong? Or you used it and – and nobody was, I don't know, strong enough to protect you? You would have DIED!'

'That's why I don't use it!' I exclaim, throwing my hands in the air.

There's a sudden snarling to the left, and we all flinch away, but Corvus twirls his staff, fires a single shot and the snarling cuts off abruptly.

'I'm going to say this one more time,' he says, turning to fix us with the sort of look that scorches. 'Shut. Up.'

We fall silent, chagrined.

We came out on the opposite side of the mountains to the bunker, so it takes us until midmorning to get back. The workers are almost frantic with fear; when they finally let us in, I almost expect them to start hugging us. Corvus' apologies for 'not coordinating with our trainees a bit better' are met with fairly short shrift. None of us object, or suggest that he be told the truth. Let the workers roll their eyes at our lack of professionalism. Let them go home, to their families, away from this place. Let them stay blissful.

Unable to argue about my Semblance, everyone has fallen back on thinking about the Pit, and the mood has been lowering considerably. I wonder how many Grimm we're drawing to this location, right here, right now. I wonder if that's why They situated a Pit so far away from civilisation? Some sort of warped mercy for those who still had to live in the Kingdom?

We're all just standing there in total silence as Corvus soothes the workers' ruffled feathers. It's a shock to all of us when Wivern turns on us abruptly. 'Come. Follow.'

The bunker is simple, but it does have a few rooms – more like partitions, but close enough. Wivern leads us into the one that serves as a kitchen, and he starts a fire.

'You won't sleep. Not until you've calmed down,' he says. And then he begins to make tea.

I wonder if we're the only ones affected by what we saw. Corvus had lines on his face that weren't there before and he was almost ready to snap at the worker when we left them. Wivern, handing around mugs, is practically mothering us – you know, compared to his previous behaviour, at least. The knowledge that these two professionals, hardened Huntsmen, were affected by what they found… it makes me feel better about how hard I took it.

None of us took it as badly as Sky. When he's without anything to do, he'll start staring straight ahead with a blank look on his face. I regret so very, very much asking him to look inside the cell. God only knows what other details he picked up. I'll have to ask Dove, but part of me is certain that if you look back far enough down Sky's family tree, one root will be buried in a Pit.

Out of the wild, Cardin feels free to turn on me again. 'You should have _told_ us.'

'Like you did?' I regret the words immediately. Cardin looks like I've stabbed him. 'Fuck, I'm sorry, man. It – look, I don't _use_ my Semblance, ok? I don't like it, I don't use it, and I just – I never thought it would come up.'

'Your Semblance is healing,' Dove says. 'How can you not use it? You can get rid of the injuries.'

I can't, actually, but the time to reveal that is _never_. 'Only if I have the time to concentrate. I can't do that in the middle of combat.'

'We could have _practiced_ that,' Cardin snaps. 'We spent enough fucking time working around my shitty Semblance, we could have done the same for yours!'

'I don't LIKE my Semblance, alright?' I yell. 'I don't use it because it doesn't _help_ , it's never HELPED!' I grit my teeth before I say something I can't take back, but Cardin, Dove and Sky exchange looks and I know they're thinking what I'm thinking.

Violet.

'I don't want to talk about it,' I add before they have a chance to comment.

'Talk about what?' Wivern asks innocently.

I grimace. 'None of your business.'

'No doubt,' he agrees. 'Talk about what?'

Before I and/or Cardin punch _him_ in the face, the door bursts open and Corvus rushes into the room.

'Pack, all of you,' he barks.

'We didn't unpack,' Cardin says, startled.

'Good. We're leaving.'

'Hey, what happened, Old Man?' Dove calls.

Corvus turns to look at us. 'There was a breach. Grimm got into Vale yesterday. They're recalling every single Hunter.' He grimaces. 'Apparently collapsing a mountain can disrupt a signal for a while. It only just got through.'

Wivern straightens and grabs Corvus' arm. 'Shoo,' he says to us.

'No, no, was anyone hurt?' Dove yelled, surging to his feet.

'Of course people were hurt, it was a Grimm incursion,' Corvus snaps. He sees Dove and Sky's faces and relents. 'I don't know specifics. It wasn't as bad as it could have been; a team of trainees was there to draw the Grimm in right at the beginning, so civilian casualties were – pretty minimum.'

A team of trainees? Hmmmmm. Now why does that sound familiar. If my team weren't so pissy at me, I'd start placing bets. The odds on it _not_ being RWBY?

I'm going to say one hundred to one.

* * *

It takes us far less time to make it back to the main base than it did to get to the relay station. For one thing it's all downhill; for another, we're all worried and snappish and not in the mood to take shit from the techies; and for a third, I'm pretty certain we killed every Grimm in the area last night.

There's a plane waiting for us. We leave the cranky techs in the passenger section and collapse onto the cargo strapped into the back. It's not a long flight back to Vale, but it feels like it is.

I'm the only one not going mad with worry, I think. I don't have family in Vale, but I think of Dove's, and shiver from time to time. Still, Serena and Harmonia are Huntresses-in-training, and Poppy is as tough as they come.

It doesn't help. I look around me at my silent team and decide that what we really need is a distraction.

Dove's train of thought is clearly parallel to mine. Unfortunately, the station labelled "Solution" is in a very different part of town. 'So,' he says, turning to me. 'You still don't want to talk about she-who-must-not-be-named?'

Normally, this is the point where I'd start to strangle him. Somehow, though, I'm just not in the mood. Although, maybe Sky would snap out of his funk to defend his boyfriend? 'Dunno. You want to fuck right off?'

'Don't fight, children,' Corvus says mockingly.

'Why are they fighting?' Wivern asks, looking up from his bazooka. 'Who's she-who-must-not-be-named?'

'Girl Russel has a thing for,' Cardin says. I glare at him. Et tu, jerk?

'You've got a girlfriend?'

'You don't need to sound so surprised, Old Man,' I say, nettled. 'I've had – a girlfriend before. Wow, that's depressing. I have only ever dated one girl in my life. I'm – _lame_.'

'It's not that bad,' Sky says soothingly.

'It's pretty bad,' Dove disagrees. 'I've had more girlfriends than that and I realised that I wasn't even into girls at age fifteen.'

'No, seriously, that's terrible.' I'm playing it up, and it's working: they're starting to smile and to forget the weight of what's waiting for us. 'Seriously. One girlfriend, over seventeen years? What kind of nerd am I?'

'Well, now I just feel bad,' Dove says.

'So go out with this one nobody will name,' Corvus says with a shrug. 'Who is she, a Huntress?'

'Oh yeah,' I say, remembering watching Xiao Long spar. I realise I'm slouched there with a dopey grin on my face, and I straighten hastily. 'I don't want to, though. I don't know if I really am interested in her.'

'Yeah, you mentioned that,' Cardin says. I let out an internal cheer – he's talking to me again! 'What do you mean?'

'I just…' The flaw in my plan is becoming apparent: we're back to talking about my love life. 'I don't know, I'm just not sure I'm not projecting Violet onto her, you know?'

'Your last girlfriend?' Corvus asks.

'Yeah, she died. I don't want to start anything until I'm sure I'm over it.' There, nice and sanitised, and it has the added benefit of reminding my team that my life is _not a fucking soap opera for them to dissect!_ Ok, Russel, dial it down. You're just on edge from what you saw and what you'll see. Don't take it out on them.

'Something similar actually happened to me,' Wivern says surprisingly. I look at him resentfully, waiting for him to shoehorn his own experiences into my story. He's looking back down at his weapon and doesn't notice. 'I married a woman who left me.'

Oh yeah, so similar to my girlfriend _dying._ I roll my eyes, and then catch sight of Corvus, who is staring at me with such a blank expression on his face that I'm intimidated despite myself. Meekly, I return my attention to Wivern.

'There was another woman I knew,' Wivern continues. 'After a year or so, I realised I – well, that I loved her.' A surprising tremor of grief rocked his voice. 'The problem was,' he continued quickly, clearing her throat, 'that she looked quite similar to my wife.'

'Barely,' Corvus puts in, rolling his eyes.

'Their colouring was identical!' Wivern says defensively.

'That is _literally_ all they had in common,' Corvus tells us. I begin to wonder if I'm not the only one who relieves tension by, well, trolling people.

'Whose story is this?' Wivern asks irritably.

Corvus held his hands up in a 'go-on' gesture. ' _Anyway_ ,' Wivern says, glaring at Corvus, 'I was worried that I had transferred my feelings from my wife to this other woman. And then I realised that I kept thinking of different things when I thought of them. They had different eyes, you see. My wife, her eyes were a beautiful shade of red – like rubies, lit up from within, warming you. The other woman, her eyes were completely different. They were inscrutable and mysterious and – they made you wonder about her.' There! That throb of grief again. I glance around the storage bay, but nobody else has picked up on it. 'So that's it,' Wivern continued. 'I wasn't dwelling on their similarities – their skin, their hair, all the personality traits they shared – I was attracted to something that was quite distinct in both cases. Once I realised that I was fully aware of how fundamentally different they were as people – I knew that I truly, individually loved them both, each for themselves.'

'Yeah, it makes sense,' I say reluctantly. 'I just don't know that I can say that yet, you know?'

'What do you think about when you think about Violet?' Cardin asks.

I shrug moodily. 'Her eyes, used to be. They're what I always had to make myself not think of, anyway.'

'And this new girl?' Wivern prompts, reaching for his water bottle.

'I don't think about her eyes when I think of her. Although,' I rest my chin on my hands and think about it, 'I guess that might be because I'm used to eyes that colour. Probably too used to them, actually. I mean, purple eyes are pretty unusual, aren't they?'

Wivern had taken a sip of water as he finished his story. Now he chokes on it, spilling the rest of his mouthful down his front. 'Purple?' he gags. 'Did you say purple?'

Corvus reaches over and pounds him on the back. I sit up straight, worried the dude is going to choke. He's gone really red. 'Yeah. Why, have you met someone with purple eyes before?'

'Take a moment to answer, Drake,' Corvus says firmly. 'You inhaled a lot of water.' He keeps pounding Wivern on the back. I don't blame him: Wivern is still sputtering breathlessly and his face is still bright red.

An eternity later, Wivern clears his throat. 'One,' he croaks. 'You're right, it is a – highly unusual colour. You know someone with purple eyes?'

'Yeah, Violet, my first girlfriend, had them. They ran in her family. I don't know about Yang… her little sister has grey eyes.' I think for a moment. 'It's weird,' I say finally, 'I honestly don't rate her eyes as highly as I probably should. Like, that's what initially caught my attention with Violet, because they were so weird. When I met Yang, her eyes were just painful, because they reminded me of Violet. Now I don't even notice them.'

'That's because you get distracted by her chest,' Sky says drily.

'Ok, I do _not_ get distracted by her chest.' Wivern is making odd little wheezing noises, but I'm too busy correcting Sky to make sure he's alright. 'It's her ass, thank you.'

'She has a spectacular ass,' Dove agrees. 'In fact, her entire body is just smokin', and that's coming from me.'

Corvus clears his own throat loudly. 'So what do you boys intend to do when you graduate?'

I don't really hear him; I've been struck by another topic-change that is a lot more interesting, to my mind. I turn to Cardin and say, 'Speaking of hot girls, have you told Dove about Serena yet?'

Dove sits bolt upright. 'What about Serena?'

Ha! Let's see how they like it. I sit back, wish I had some popcorn, and take a moment to wonder why Wivern is staring at me before settling in to watch the show.

* * *

 **That was less of a dick move on Russel's part than you'd think. Dove doesn't care who his siblings date, and practically speaking, Dove knows that Serena is perfectly capable of kicking Cardin's ass if he messes up.**


	22. Chapter 22

**So I guess it's obvious by now, but Corvus and Wivern are Qrow and Taiyang Xiao Long respectively. We all know Qrow is working with Ozpin, and Taiyang did say he was leaving the island for a few days, after all… Qrow's scythe didn't make an appearance because it's a distinctive weapon and they were trying to be stealthy.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

An hour into our flight, the communications signal finally becomes stable enough for us to receive non-priority messages, and Cardin, Sky and Dove's scrolls light up with missed calls and text-messages. They fall silent and begin to read, devouring the words like addicts looking for a fix, then, almost as one, heave sighs of relief.

'They're ok,' Dove says, breathing the words like a prayer.

Cardin is nodding slowly, still reading. 'My father is fine.'

Sky is the only one who doesn't say anything. Then he looks up, realises we're all looking at him, and shakes his head briefly. 'Sorry. My mother broke her arm, she's in the hospital. But she's fine, otherwise, and my dad is fine too. They're mad that some books got knocked over, though.' He shakes his head, smiling slightly to himself.

Sky doesn't talk about his family much, but there's no real reason. They're just not very close. Dove told me once in confidence that Sky is the only child of two older academics who weren't expecting him and never really intended to have children. They never neglected or abused him, but it was undeniable that he had been shaped to fit their life rather than the other way around. Sky loved his parents dearly, but he didn't know them very well.

Corvus is also reading his scroll. 'Change of plans, boys,' he says. 'We're not setting down in the city after all.'

'What?' Sky exclaims.

'The breach occurred in Mountain Glenn. It was –'

'An expansion of Vale,' Cardin says impatiently. Seeing us cast startled looks at him – he's not famous for his academic brilliance – he says shortly, 'Building the Mountain Glenn subway system is how my family made its money.'

'Well, that's not something I would publicise right this minute,' Corvus says. 'That's how the Grimm got into Vale.'

We all wince. 'Yeah, keep that quiet,' I advise Cardin. 'You don't need to give random strangers an excuse to punch you in the face. I mean, beside your personality.'

He glares at me, and not in a _that-was-funny-but-I'm-obliged-to-act-angry_ way. He's still actually angry. I sigh.

'So where are we going?' Dove asks.

'We're taking you to Mountain Glenn.'

'So... You're still mad at us?' I ask.

Covus grins. 'Yes. But this is actually an order.'

As it turns out, the Hunters who are in Vale or who have been called to Vale have been set to patrol other incursion points, to make sure this isn't a pronged attack. Since the Mountain Glenn base was neutralised – read, destroyed – the trainee Hunters are stationed there to hold the fort.

'Says here we're meant to try and identify potential future weaknesses to be sealed,' Cardin recites, reading the orders that have finally arrived on his scroll. 'Before the tournament starts, too.'

I groan. 'Can't we just blow the joint and be done with it?'

'They'll have to, now. You can't leave that sort of gaping hole in a Kingdom's defences,' Sky says.

'Never had a problem with it before now,' Dove mutters.

'And look how that ended up,' I remind him.

'One thing I will say before we drop you off,' Corvus says. 'You realise that you can't tell anyone about us.'

'That's going to be somewhat difficult,' Cardin says acidly. 'I mean, people may ask what we've been doing for the past few days. I'd rather not say "Lying on the beach drinking fruit juice."'

'Snarky,' Wivern comments approvingly. 'Your partner is a bad influence.'

'You can talk about what you did,' Corvus says. 'But if you could _possibly_ avoid dwelling on the fact that your mentors were on a secret mission, using false names, that would be deeply appreciated.'

'We had mentors?' I mutter, loudly enough for them to hear.

'We can make that work,' Cardin says confidently. 'We'll just say you were incompetent and we don't want to talk about the mission.'

'I can work with that,' Dove says.

Corvus opens his mouth to argue, then presses his fingers to his eyes and sighs. 'Fine. Fine, I suppose we had that one coming our way. Just – don't describe us, don't describe our weapons, and you'll be fine.'

'We're here,' Sky notes.

The plane dips and comes to a hover, metres above the ground. We stand up and grab our bags, taking the opportunity to stretch. With the last-minute change of plans, we've been in this plane all day. 'It's been fun,' I say sarcastically.

To my surprise, Corvus shakes Cardin's hand. 'You'll make a hell of a Huntsman one day,' he says to Cardin. 'You all will.'

Cardin straightens. 'Thanks for having us. We learned a lot. Reluctantly.'

Corvus grins. 'Go get 'em. And be safe.'

Cardin leads the way, jumping out of the plane. We follow him, but as I move to the door, the last to jump, Wivern grabs my arm. 'Hey, Russel.'

'Yeah?'

He gives me a long look. 'Follow your heart. Not your head. One can only make you happy, the other gives you joy.'

I give him a startled look, then nod slowly.

'Thanks,' I say softly, and leap from the plane.

I land easily and look around me. Cardin and Dove are already fanning out, but Sky is giving me a curious look. I realise he must have heard what was said on the plane. I shrug at him, showing I'm not entirely sure what Wivern was talking about either. Except… I am.

One makes you happy. The other gives you joy.

'Someone is coming,' Sky says to Cardin. 'Humans.' The wind shifts and Sky frowns. 'Oh _hell,_ it's–'

He stops talking and I can see why. Coco Adel rounds the corner of a derelict building and strolls towards us, followed by Velvet Scarlatina.

I see Cardin grimace, and shoot him a glare. He blinks and quickly smooths his face. 'I'm going to chalk that one up to habit,' I say warningly, moving close to him so that CFVY doesn't overhear.

'I'm working on it, alright?' he says snappishly, then turns back to CFVY. 'Team CRDL, reporting in,' he says in a neutral tone.

'Cute,' Adel says disparagingly. 'Late to the party, of course.'

'Our invitation was lost in the mail,' I snark. I'm not going to let Cardin take her shit alone.

'Assuming you were sent one,' she says witheringly, before turning to Cardin. 'The other babies have set up camp to the north. You can go join them. We have to get some real work done.'

With that she turns on her heels and stalks off again to resume patrol, Scarlatina trailing her like a duckling.

'You kind of have to admire her confidence,' Dove says.

I raise an eyebrow. 'Do we?'

'I'm starving,' Sky interjects. 'Let's go and find the others.'

* * *

The sun is setting when we reach the campsite, to find that everyone is sitting around a fire. It looks cosy. I almost feel bad to disturb them. Then I smell the stew they're making and my reserve flies out the window. I haven't eaten all goddamned day.

They hear us coming and look up sharply, their hands going to their weapons. 'Whoa!' Dove says, holding his hands up. 'We come in peace!'

Rose beams broadly and says 'Hey, guys.' Belladonna, Schnee and Nikos all nod in a congenial manner at us; Arc shoots us a nervous little grin, and Lie gives us a smile that looks like it may be genuine. Valkyrie actually leaps up and wraps her arms around Sky.

'Skyyyyyyy!'

'Hi Nora,' Sky says, patting her on the head with his free hand. 'Ok, let go now.'

She does so, and I grin. 'You have her well-trained.'

'Well some of us didn't get to give up a stupid assignment to go plan a stupid dance! Blake!' Valkyrie says, propping her hands on her hips.

'The dance wasn't stupid,' Belladonna says mildly. 'You got to wear a dress, remember?'

'Yeah, that was fun,' Valkyrie agrees.

'You always wear a dress,' I say before the wisdom, or lack thereof, of engaging Nora Valkyrie in reasoned debate hits me.

'Yeaaah, but this was a dancing dress not a hammer dress! There's a huge difference!'

The idea of Nora Valkyrie dressed up like a giant hammer makes me grin for a second. She sees me and grins right back.

'Pull up a seat,' Rose invites us, gesturing at the ground. We drop our duffels behind us and settle down, basking in the warmth of the fire.

'So I'd ask how your mission went, but…' Dove gestures around him.

'Yeah, it got kind of out of hand,' Rose says.

'There was a Grimm invasion,' Sky says flatly.

'Only a small one,' Arc says defensively.

'Besides, we fixed it,' Schnee says. 'How did _your_ mission go?'

In unison we all grimace. 'We'd really rather not discuss it,' Cardin says.

'Why? What happened?' Nikos asks.

'Was it embarrassing?' Valkyrie asks, curious. 'Ooh! Did someone's pants catch fire.'

'Just – grim,' I say. 'No pun intended.' Then what Valkyrie actually said catches up to me. 'Wait, how would our pants catch fire?'

'I don't know, how did they?'

'They didn't,' I say, a little at a loss.

'Well obviously you're not doing it right.'

'Just smile and nod,' Sky says, not bothering to lower his voice. Valkyrie flashes him an affectionate grin, and I realise that I was right: Valkyrie is enough like Dove that Sky can tolerate her, and apparently Sky is enough like Lie that he's become another – teddy-bear? Punching bag? Whatever.

'Is there enough in there for us?' Dove asks hungrily, staring at the stew.

'Probably,' Yang says. It's the first thing she's said since we got here. 'Hungry?'

'We haven't eaten since last night,' Cardin explains. 'We could trade you some ration bars, but you wouldn't thank us.'

Wordless, Yang pulls out four bowls and fills them, then adds a few slices of un-buttered bread. The food is passed from hand to hand until it reaches us. Belladonna produces cutlery and tosses it to us for us to snatch out of the air. I catch it and turn the movement into a smooth scoop that sends a massive spoonful of hot stew straight into my mouth.

'Msschgood,' Dove mumbles.

Sky rubs his eyes. 'Oh my god Dove.'

Dove swallows manfully. 'I said it's good.'

Cardin and I nod silent agreement. There isn't enough capacity in our mouths for words and food at the same time, and our priorities are clear. Besides, it is really good.

'You can thank Ren,' Nikos says. 'I think he may be the only one here who can actually cook.'

'I didn't mean to set it on fire…' Rose trails off into a mumble and she casts a guilty look at a smoking lump of something or other that's currently burning quite happily in the fire.

We finish our bowls and Schnee produces some apples for dessert. I catch mine, and for the first time, able to really look around the fire, I realise I'm seated right across from Yang.

Our eyes meet for a second, then skitter aside like water on a hot pan. I quickly take a massive bite of my apple and look around the building we're in.

'So we heard that a team of trainee Hunters stopped a Grimm incursion,' Dove says light-heartedly. 'I'm guessing they were short, blonde, bow-adorned and pale?'

'We were just in the right place at the right time,' Belladonna says, right on cue.

'Bullshit,' I cough into my fist. Looking up, I meet her hard golden eyes, give her a bland smile and thump my chest. 'Bit of apple went down the wrong way.'

Belladonna's glare intensifies. A bead of sweat rolls down the back of my head, but I meet her eyes anyway. It's quite possible the scariest thing I've ever done.

'It was lucky that Team RWBY were available,' Ren says diplomatically. 'Otherwise it could have been far worse.'

'What about you guys?' Dove asks Arc. 'I thought your mission was meant to take you outside the borders too.'

'We didn't end up getting out there,' Arc says with a shrug. 'Got kind of distracted by the giant Deathstalker in downtown, you know.'

'Fair enough,' Dove agrees. 'I guess you'd have mentioned it before now, but your family is ok, right?' he adds.

'Yeah, they were fine,' Arc nods and an expression of relief passes his face. 'What about you?'

'Of course.' Dove, Sky and Cardin all nod agreement. I don't bother, then realise Arc is staring at me with a growing expression of horror.

'What?' I ask, startled. 'I'm from Vacuo.' I diplomatically leave the words 'you idiot' unspoken.

'Oh, right.' He grins guiltily. 'I forgot.'

I want to ask how, but I don't bother. It's been a long day. I just shrug at him. Lie Ren is watching me and when I don't start throwing punches, he gives me an approving smile.

'Have you had a chance to read the briefing?' Schnee asks.

'The whole find-holes-in-the-ceiling thing?' I ask. 'Yeah, but it didn't make a lot of sense.'

'You know the terrain, maybe you can explain it,' Cardin says with a polite nod at Schnee.

We listen intently as Rose, helped by Belladonna and Schnee, describe the underground system of Mountain Glenn. In a word? Rabbit warren meets labyrinth, complete with monsters. And we have to go through this underground death maze, locate any passages to the top, however small and insignificant, and mark them down to be closed later by heavily-guarded teams of engineers. All before the tournament starts, too.

'Well that's easy enough,' Cardin says when they're done.

RWBY and JNPR give him looks that mix disbelief and irritation in varying degrees. 'Were you listening at all?' Belladonna asks crushingly.

'It might not be easy for you, but we can do it no problem,' Cardin says. Realising how that came out – the irritation increasing in everyone's faces was his first hint – he hastily adds, 'I mean, that is, it's not you… but Sky and Dove both have Semblances that will make this easy for them.'

'Really?' Rose asks hopefully, clearly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (pun definitely intended).

Sky and Dove are both nodding. 'I have echolocation, basically,' Dove explains. 'Sky has super-senses. We can locate access to the surface easily if we go down there.'

'You're sure?' Nikos asks.

'Our last mission took us underground,' Cardin says, taking over again. 'They're sure.'

'You know, you guys all frown when you mention your last mission,' Arc says. 'I mean, how bad was it? You're acting like someone died.'

He realises what he says and shoots a horrified look at me. _I_ realise what he said, and honestly, my first reaction is to laugh out loud. I can't believe he said that. I suppress it with an effort, leaving pure silence that's almost worse than if I had laughed.

'So… really, what _did_ you guys do, for your mission?' Rose asks again. 'I mean, what did you nominate?'

'Not it,' Dove says quickly, touching a finger to his nose and looking at the rest of us.

'You're up, bro,' I say to Cardin, ignoring the confused looks we're getting from RWBY and JNPR.

Cardin makes a pained expression. 'I think –'

'Oh no,' Sky says firmly. 'Perks of being king, Cardin.

'Go ahead, fearless leader,' I add.

'Ok, _what_ happened?' Yang demands. She's glaring at Cardin, I'm relieved to note, and she's clearly run out of patience.

Cardin grimaces. 'Well… we were guarding these CCT technicians who were working on the external system.'

They wait expectantly for a moment. 'That's _it_?' Schnee demands.

'And we… found a Pit,' Cardin admits.

There's a moment of shocked silence, now. 'That can't have been easy,' Nikos says in a compassionate tone.

Despite myself, I want to grin. Cardin is examining his apple core like it holds the secret of the universe and his voice is barely a mumble when he says, 'And… then we blew it up.'

Sympathy for us vanishes like Vale's property values this morning.

'What,' Belladonna says flatly.

'In our defence,' I say, 'it was _literally_ packed with Grimm.'

'Our options were very, very limited,' Sky agrees.

'None of us were happy about it,' Cardin says, catching Belladonna's hard gaze and holding it. 'But we had no choice. Not if we wanted to make it out alive.'

They don't say anything. They don't agree, but they appreciate that they aren't in a situation where their agreement is valid. They weren't there; they don't know. This they understand.

'We should get started,' Yang says, skating over the awkward moment. 'We can plan it out tonight, at least.'

'You don't need Dove and me working together,' Sky says. 'If we split into two groups we can cover twice as much ground.'

'This place isn't safe to go wandering around in small groups,' Ren says doubtfully.

'If we split ourselves in half, that's still six to a group,' Nikos says. 'We should be fine.'

'You'll have to go with Dove,' Sky tells Cardin. 'You too, Yang, and you, Nora.'

'Why?' Yang demands sharply.

'Your weapons,' Sky says. 'Super-hearing doesn't mesh so well with explosive rounds.'

'That makes sense,' Schnee says. 'Team CFVY will be handling perimeter duty for the duration of our stay here. We'll let them know what we're planning in the morning.'

CRDL hasn't really slept since two nights ago, and RWBY and JNPR seem just as worn out, so it's an early night for all of us. As we stand to start unrolling sleeping bags, Yang and I somehow find ourselves face to face.

There are deep bags under her eyes. I look into them, and see her looking back, searching for something. I open my mouth, realise I have nothing to say, and close it again. She gives me a sad look and turns away.

'Sweet dreams,' I mumble to myself under my breath, turning to my pack.

Follow your heart. Even when the damn thing still aches?

I don't know.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

The next morning, I wake up when something nudges my arm.

'Use your words, Sky,' I mumble, rolling onto my back and putting my arm over my eyes.

There's a moment's pause, then something jumps onto my stomach. I sit bolt upright with a combination grunt-yelp, and find myself being watched solemnly by a dog.

'That's Zwei!' Rose chirps. 'He was patrolling with Coco last night.' Rose and Arc are the only ones up, it seems. Zwei glances over, sees her opening a packet of bacon, and trots off without further ado. I consider the wisdom of throwing the Stars at him, decide Rose would get angry, and get to my feet with a sigh.

'What's for breakfast?' I yawn.

'Bacon and toast,' Rose says confidently.

'I thought you couldn't cook,' I say, watching her slop oil into a pan.

'It's just bacon, how hard can it be.' She holds the pan above the fire and it bursts into flames. I throw myself back with a curse, Rose drops the pan with a yelp, and Zwei darts in and grabs the bacon, then disappears into the mass of sleeping bodies.

'So breakfast is toast,' I say finally.

'I have more bacon–'

'No! No more bacon!'

'What's going on?' a soft voice says from behind me. I turn, and freeze up. Yang is standing there, wiping her hands on her pants. She looks from Rose to Arc to me, and her face freezes up.

'Your sister is committing breakfast,' I manage to get out.

'Ruby can't cook,' Yang says, sounding devastatingly normal.

I turn back to the fire. 'No shit.'

Yang stands behind me for a moment, then over my head she says to Rose, 'I'm going to go find Coco.'

'Yang, you're not meanttogooff!… alone,' Rose trails off.

'She'll be fine,' I say, not looking up from opening a new packet of bacon. 'No Grimm around, or your dog would have started barking, I guess.' I pick up the pan, check it's the right way up, place some bacon in it and set it down on the edge of the fire, in the heat but away from the flames.

'I could have done that,' Rose mumbles.

'Apparently you can't,' I snip back. Ok, calm the fuck down. Think of the delicious edible bacon that you get to eat for breakfast. Just think of the bacon.

Something moves at the corner of my eye and I flinch away, but it's just the dog, back for more bacon. I move the pan away and ignore him. Rose pats her knee, trying to summon the little gremlin, but Zwei noses at my hand until he's wriggled his head under my palm. I raise my hand and glare at him. 'Beat it, mongrel.'

Zwei sits down and lets out this tiny, tiny little whine. His eyes grow huge with sadness. I cave. 'Well, if you're going to be pathetic about it,' I sigh, rubbing his head. He yips happily and presses up against my leg, resting his chin in my lap.

'Hey, he likes you,' Arc says, startled.

'This. Means. _Nothing_ ,' I tell them both darkly, scratching Zwei's ears with both hands.

'Aw, Russel, you made a friend!' Dove says, coming up beside me.

'Kill him, Zwei!' I order, removing my hands.

The dog rolls onto his back so that I can rub his stomach.

'We need to work out the terms of our arrangement,' I tell him, leaning forwards to check the bacon as the others begin to stir.

* * *

After breakfast, Rose leads us to an area of the ruins that has been roped off with yellow tape. 'This is where I fell in,' she says. 'The ground here seems really thin, so we can get under here.'

Dove steps up next to her and activates his Semblance. 'Let's see,' he says, his voice rolling oddly, then begins to hum, low and constant.

'I thought echolocation worked by waiting for the sound to get back to you?' Arc says next to me.

Sky shrugs. 'I also thought it wasn't something that humans could naturally do. Sorry if my boyfriend isn't doing it in the _proper manner,_ but it _works_.'

I raise an eyebrow at him and draw him away from Arc. 'What gives, Sky? Being a dick to Arc is my thing.'

Sky looks away. 'I hate it when people attack others without thinking just because what's going on doesn't make sense to them, personally. Nobody else has a problem with Dove's Semblance.'

There's more going on here than Dove's Semblance. 'Thinking about the Pit?' I ask softly.

He looks at me. 'It's – they were _painters._ And writers. And… scholars.'

'And if you had been born a few decades earlier, you could have wound up there,' I finish. 'Nobody is taking the Great War as a how-to guide, Sky.'

'It wasn't _right_ ,' he says hotly.

I shrug at him. I don't know how to help. To my surprise, Cardin behind us, says in a low voice, 'No, it wasn't.'

Sky gives Cardin a helpless look. Cardin places a hand on Sky's shoulder and squeezes. 'It wasn't right and it won't happen again in our lifetimes,' he says firmly, 'Because we'll die before we allow it. That's all we can do.'

Sky nods slowly.

'Each man walks one path,' Cardin says. 'Each man chooses their own destination.'

'And maybe at the end, there'll be the sort of burial we gave them,' I say, feeling a defiant grin stretching across my face. 'A mountain fallen, monsters killed, and a place of that sort of misery totalled.'

'All because a scholar led us there,' Cardin adds.

Sky grins. 'You guys are lame.' He looks away, but his jaw has relaxed. I give Cardin a nod of respect, and he smiles back, proud. I turn, and find Nikos watching us. Was she listening? She looks – startled.

Dove has stopped using his Semblance. He turns to us now. 'I don't think we should try and go in here. This ground is really, really unstable.'

'Yeah, I found that out the hard way,' Rose says, rolling her eyes.

'Well, I think we can get in a few streets away,' Dove says, pointing. 'I'm pretty certain a tunnel rises up to the surface to the north.'

'You can tell all that from your Semblance?' Belladonna asks, impressed.

Dove grins and shrugs. 'If I really ramp it up, sure. I have to be careful, though, sometimes if it gets too strong it can–'

The ground between the yellow lines caves in without a second's warning. Schnee conjures up a massive glyph under our feet that repels us all, sending us flying backwards away from the site. Schnee, Belladonna, Nikos and I land on our feet, though I have to roll once to do it; the others, not expecting it and taken by surprise, take a moment to recover.

'–weaken stuff,' Dove finishes, propped up on his elbows, watching the dust rise.

'And you want us to go underground with you,' Ren said. 'While you use your Semblance. Underground.'

'I won't use it that strongly,' Dove protests, climbing to his feet and brushing himself down. 'Plus, I knew the ground was weak there. I can tell. So I'll tell you if the ground was weak.'

'I think we'll work it out for ourselves when it starts collapsing on us,' Yang says.

'You have a better idea?' I ask without thinking.

'Do you?' she snaps, eyes flaring red.

'No, but _I_ don't think we _need_ one,' I say, my voice heavy with sarcasm.

'I kind of agree with Ren,' Arc says. 'I mean, going underground with you seems like a bit of a death sentence, Dove.'

An honest-to-god tumbleweed rolls past. Everyone stands perfectly still and nobody makes eye contact with anyone else.

We should make a drinking game, I reflect distantly, out of all the times we have to pull Arc's foot out of his mouth for him. And for that matter, who actually told him? If it's Sun Wukong again, I'm taking his tail as a belt.

'So,' Rose says, face screwed up as if the awkward silence is physically hurting her. 'Underground?'

'I won't collapse anything, I promise,' Dove says hastily.

This time nobody argues.

* * *

Dove leads us to where the streets reach the surface, and Sky locates a subway platform. It's bricked up, but a few punches with Yang's gauntlets and a few blows of Augusta Nave deal with that. At the bottom of the stairs, Belladonna leaves a red flare.

'So we know we've been here,' she explains, seeing me watching her. 'Pyrrha has your team's.'

We split up without further delay. Cardin, Dove, Ren, Valkyrie, Yang and Belladonna turn north and take the dog with them. Sky takes point; the rest of us walk behind him, me, Nikos and Arc, with Rose and Schnee bringing up the rear.

'I think I can detect a draught,' Sky says, turning slowly. 'To the north… I think.'

We walk in silence for fifteen minutes. This place is as bad as I imagined it would be. 'I can't imagine fighting people down here,' I say finally, to break the silence. 'Must've been like fighting ghosts in your own tomb.'

'That's – dark,' Arc says.

'Sorry if the murder-labyrinth is putting me in a bad mood,' I snap.

'It wasn't actually that bad,' Rose says. 'Where I fell in was where the White Fang had set up their base, so I didn't have to spend time in the abandoned sections.'

I grimace. 'They're like rats in the walls,' I say without thinking, wondering how the Fang knew about both this place and the Pit in the mountain.

'Hey, that's enough!' Arc snaps, startling me.

I turn so that I'm walking backwards and glare at him. 'I'm not racist, you moron. I just hate the Fang. You know the Pit we found? They had set up a _base_ there. In a _Pit_. Who does that?' I turn, and add over my shoulder. 'You know about Violet, you should know I don't care if someone is Faunus or not.'

'The entrance is there, if anyone cares,' Sky says, stopping and pointing. A set of stairs, probably another subway entrance, disappear into the darkness in front of us. 'That's open to the surface to some extent.'

Nikos pulls a flare out of the bag over her shoulder, breaks it, and leaves it in the entrance of the stairs.

'There,' she said with satisfaction. 'That will last a week or more.'

'If we have to stay down here for a week I'm probably going to jump off a cliff,' Arc says jokingly… and then realises what he said… and then puts his hand over his face so he doesn't have to meet my eyes.

I start to laugh. 'I can't believe I didn't want to tell anyone,' I say to Sky, not bothering to lower my voice. 'I think this is the best moment of my life.'

' _Russel_ ,' Sky sighs.

'I am so, so sorry,' Arc says, his voice painfully humble.

'Where to?' I ask Sky. I think ignoring Arc will be my game plan from now on. Otherwise I'll be too tempted to kick him in the balls, if only to determine whether he actually has any.

'North,' Sky says, clearly deciding he's going to do his job and let the rest of us fight it out.

We set off again. We've been down here less than an hour, but it feels like it's been weeks. I am ready to leave, and I don't care how explosive Cardin's weapon is, he's going with Sky next time. Or, more specifically, he's going with Arc.

We round the corner of a crumbling building and Sky stops short. Opening up in front of us is a massive crack in the ground. I can't see the opposite edge, and I can't see the bottom. It could go on forever for all I know. Half of the building next to us has crumbled into it, from the looks of things.

'So who dug a hole to Vacuo?' Arc asks, apparently recovered.

'I can smell fresh air,' Sky reports. He points to the left, along the edge of the ravine. 'A lot of it, too.'

'We could go through the building,' Rose suggests.

'I'd really rather not,' Schnee says. I don't blame her; the thing looks like a death trap.

'I can warn you if something is about to collapse,' Sky says. 'There's a really large opening beyond there, guys. We have to do something.'

'Can't we use your Semblance, Schnee?' I ask. Surely I've seen her using those glyphs to move around.

'Not with any real degree of certainty,' she admits. 'My Semblance isn't suited for transporting people.'

'Through the building it is, then,' Nikos says. 'Sky and I will go first.' So that she can pull him to safety if something goes wrong. I have no arguments with that: Nikos is by far the most qualified to keep Sky alive and I would rather stay down here than have to tell Dove I lost him.

'Arc and me, next,' I say firmly. 'If it holds us, it'll hold the girls.'

Nikos and Sky set out. We watch them picking their way through the rubble, putting their feet down carefully. Sky is moving surely and smoothly, using his Semblance to see what looks unstable. I try and memorise his route.

'Let's go,' Arc says, and step into the building.

The floor is littered with rubble, slanting down towards the crevice, and the walls are cracked and fallen. I step carefully, feeling boards flex and crack beneath me. God, we're going to have to do this again on our way out, aren't we? Hell. Next time I'm telling Schnee to man up and take her chances.

Arc stumbles and I seize his arm, holding him perfectly still. A board moans under our feet, and there's an ominous cracking noise from above us.

'Don't…move…' I breathe to him.

The moan deepens, sounding like whale song, then dies out. I take a cautious, cautious step forward.

'Russel, Jaune, run!' Sky yells suddenly.

As he speaks, there's a clap of thunder and the boards beneath our feet disappear out from under us. Arc and I hit the ground and begin to slide with the loosened boards, heading straight for the crevice.

I can hear Schnee, Rose, Nikos and Sky screaming behind us. I can see the edge of the crevice, rushing towards me. I can see a lump of concrete, part of the external wall. If I can get to that –

I twist onto my back, just in time, and land with my feet set against the concrete like a swimmer about to push off. It makes a grating noise, but holds. Arc shoots past me, and I grab him without even thinking, but his weight tears me to the side, away from the concrete, and I begin to fall again. I've turned, sliding towards the crevice on my side. I see Nikos, like a flame in the darkness, standing perfectly still with her hand raised. Something yanks against my chest; the belt holding my spaulder in place. It pulls, and I wonder what it's caught on, then the belt snaps and we're moving again.

There's an almighty jolt beside me and Arc comes to a complete stop, somehow. I slide past him, over the edge, my hand still wrapped around his wrist. I hear a scream from above, then I'm falling, and then I hit the ground, and then the rest of the building hits me.

* * *

I don't black out; I should be so lucky. I had my Aura up, but it feels like I've been pummelled repeatedly with hammers. The avalanche of debris peters off after a few long minutes, and it takes a few more before the ringing in my ears stops.

I hear a soft groan. 'Arc?' I croak, trying to work out what direction is up. The movement of speaking sends debris crashing off my back, and I realise that I'm lying on my stomach, covered in crap from the building above. I get my hands beneath me and push up, sending rubble showering everywhere. I cough. 'Arc?'

'Here,' a weak voice says from above me.

I look up, and see Arc hanging from a beam that's sticking out of the wall. It's snagged his armour, somehow. 'Are you ok?' he asks, wriggling free and landing on his feet.

'I feel like I've been beaten up,' I manage to get out. Suddenly I do a double take. 'Nikos, what are you doing here?'

Pyrrha Nikos is standing to the right, brushing herself down and not looking at me. 'I fell in,' she says.

'But you were standing on solid rock,' I say, confused. She shouldn't have slid in with us, or Sky should be here too if she did. 'Oh god, did Sky fall?'

'No. You're bleeding,' Nikos says, her green eyes searching my face.

I reach up and feel a gash on my scalp. It's painful, and she's right, I am bleeding. I take a breath and suppress the injury, and have the dubious pleasure of watching Arc's eyes inflate as the cut vanishes.

'Whoa!' he breathes. 'You can do that?'

I'm so tempted to say, _you can't_? but there's a difference between being a bit of a dick and being an actual dick by destroying whatever shred of self-confidence Arc has in himself. 'Yeah,' I say. 'You two alright?'

'I'm fine.' 'I am perfectly fine.'

We stop to catch our breaths for a moment, and look around us. We're standing at the bottom of the crevice, and it doesn't look like there's any way up.

'So what now?' I ask, irritated.

'I guess we start walking,' Arc says with a sigh.

'With his Semblance Sky can hear us talking, correct?' Nikos says as we start moving. 'So he knows we're unharmed. He can track us until we come to a spot where we can climb back up.'

She pulls a flare out and lights it so that we can see what we're doing. 'He can track us by light too,' I comment. Still, I sigh despite myself. This is going to be a _loooong_ walk.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

As we walk, I can't help but ponder how Nikos got pulled into the crevice with us. I saw her. She was standing right next to Sky, rock-steady, perfectly still. We fell because the boards gave way beneath Arc and me, and she was standing on solid stone.

Standing on solid stone – with her hand up, as if she were trying to make us stop...

'Russel?'

I snap back to reality. Nikos is trying to get my attention. 'What?' I demand.

'I think I can feel a breeze. Do you agree?'

I tilt my head back, but I can't say for certain. 'Maybe. I can't tell.'

'Well, yeah, you're covered in blood,' Arc says. 'How can you even see?'

I raise an eyebrow at him and feel the dried blood covering my face crack. 'I blinked. Surprisingly, that works.'

'I feel we should conserve our water,' Nikos says. 'Otherwise I would offer to help you clean it off.'

Ooh, Pyrrha Nikos playing nurse… _tempting_ … 'No, you're right,' I say with what I hope is well-hidden regret. 'We should save our water until we can get out of here. So… you two excited for the Tournament?'

Nikos makes a non-committal noise. 'I've fought in tournaments before. They're much the same after a while.'

'I think it should be fun,' Arc says.

'Yeah, I'm looking forward to it,' I say. 'It's always nice to meet new people and then try and beat them to death shortly after.'

To my surprise Nikos laughs. 'That's a very unique way of looking at it.'

I can't help but feel pleased. 'It is what it is.'

'Have you been in Tournaments before?' Arc asks.

'Sure. My combat school held one every year. Most do. Only in the school, though. You need an event like a festival to hold a multi-school one.'

'The Festival is about strengthening the bonds between nations,' Nikos says. 'By holding a Tournament we learn how others fight and work out how to adapt our styles to theirs.'

'And, of course, you can identify who the biggest threats are in case you ever have to attack another nation,' I add, unable to resist.

To my surprise, Nikos accepts this in stride. 'That's true.'

I watch her out of the corner of my eye, startled by her realistic attitude. I thought she was an idealist. I should have known better. You don't get to fight like her unless you have a strong grip on reality.

'But we're in a time of peace!' Arc protests.

'Yes,' I say in an overly-patient voice, 'and motivation for _staying_ in a time of peace is a lot stronger when you know the people you might be fighting have soldiers who can blow things up with their Semblances, or move them with–' I pause. 'Nikos, is your Semblance telekinesis?'

'What? No,' she says, sounding too genuinely startled to be lying. 'Why would you think that?'

'Because there's no good reason for you to be down here!' I say, frustrated. 'You were safe, you were standing perfectly still, then you reach out like you're trying to grab us, my spaulder snaps off–' I stop dead. 'Oh _god._ ' My spaulder. My photo. Oh god, my photo. 'Oh god, Nikos, tell me your Semblance is telekinesis. Please for the love of god tell me that you grabbed my spaulder.'

'My Semblance is not telekinesis,' Nikos insists.

'Why are you getting so worked up about this?' Arc asks.

I take a deep breath and only answer when my voice is even. 'Because if Nikos didn't grab me, then I've just lost – something,' I say, suddenly remembering who I'm talking to.

'That photo? From the dining hall, remember? That's – that's Violet, isn't it?'

'Yes, and that's the _only_ photo I have of her.' Despite myself, desperation is creeping back into my tone. 'I would _really_ , _very_ much like to know that that one is _safe_.'

'Sky has your spaulder,' Nikos told me. 'I saw him catch it. If the photo is still there, then it will be safe.'

'It should be.' I keep it tucked between the armour and the padding, where it can't fall out unless I put it in improperly, like I did in the cafeteria. I take a deep breath, and shoot them a sheepish look. 'Sorry. Panicked, for a second.' Though that still doesn't answer the question of how my spaulder even made it up to Sky.

'You can't ask her family for another photo?' Arc asks cautiously.

'Not really.' They couldn't bear to see me, once Violet died. I didn't blame them. I couldn't bear to even think of them. 'Who told you about Violet, anyway?' I add, curious.

'Ah…well, we asked Blake why you were yelling at Yang,' Arc says carefully. 'And she… told us.'

After that we walk in silence.

* * *

I don't mean to, but I start to fall behind. Nikos and Arc are striding out, trying to get out of this place as quickly as possible. I don't blame them, it's incredibly oppressive, and I'm still embarrassed from losing my cool over the photo, so I don't object when they draw ahead. The light from the flare is casting odd, odd shadows, leaping and dancing on the rocky walls, and as Nikos gets further away from me the light grows…dimmer…

I blink and realise that I'm lying on the ground, sprawled against the rocks. When did that happen? It's pitch black, I can't hear Nikos or Arc, and I can't seem to remember falling.

I lie there, surprisingly comfortable. The ground is rocky but it's not painful, for now at least. It's cold, but it's soothing, too, like a cool bath on a hot day. I'm hot, I realise; in fact I'm feverish. This is neither normal nor good.

Ok, Russel, time to get up. 'Time to get up,' I mutter to myself, alone in the dark. Who else am I going to talk to? Time to get up.

I bring my arm underneath me, and then the other, and push myself up. I feel weak, like I've been sick. This is seriously not good. I can get into a sitting position, but that's all. I lean back against the rock, check my pockets for ration bars, and remember that I don't have any. Or water. This is really, really not good.

'Russel? Russel!'

I never thought I'd be glad to see Arc, or Nikos. They round the corner towards me, the flare highlighting the worry on their faces. I'm just relieved I managed to get myself up before they came back. That could have been embarrassing, to have to be rescued by them.

'What are you doing?' Arc demands. 'We have to keep moving.'

'Eat a dick,' I suggest companionably, closing my eyes. The light from the flare is hurting them.

'What's wrong?' Nikos asks, her voice sharp.

I debate not telling them, but that's not really an option. 'I think I passed out,' I admit.

Rock crunches and I crack one eyelid to find Nikos kneeling next to me. She seizes my wrist, and despite myself I grunt. She has a grip like iron and she's not bothering to be gentle. 'No wonder. Your Aura is seriously depleted.'

'Guess a building falling on you will do that,' I snap. My head is throbbing.

'Wait, you've been unconscious all this time?' Arc blurts.

'All this time?' I repeat. 'How long did it take you to realise I wasn't with you?'

'It doesn't matter,' Nikos begins.

'Fuck off,' I snap bitterly, wrenching my arm from her grip. 'I don't–' My vision spins for a moment and I lose track of what I was saying.

Something is pressed to my lips, sending a trickle of water into my mouth. I sip obligingly, and it's removed. 'Open your mouth,' Nikos orders.

'I can feed myself,' I mumble.

' _Open_ your _mouth_.'

She's going to make a hell of a mother one day. I react to the pure authority in her voice and open my mouth instantly. She pops something in before I can start to argue again. I resettle it against my tongue and find that it's candy.

'I hate this stuff,' I manage to get out.

'You need the sugar,' she says unsympathetically. 'If you spit it out I'm going to make you finish it anyway.'

'What is this, Pyrrha?' I hear Arc ask over my head. 'I've never seen this before.'

''Cause you're a dick,' I mumble. I mean to say that if he had gone through combat school he'd have been warned about this – repeatedly, in fact – but then I realise that this just means admitting that I, who did know about Aura depletion and was warned about it repeatedly, didn't recognise the signs. I decide not to try and finish that conversation.

They both ignore me, or maybe don't hear me. My voice is shockingly weak.

'Aura depletion,' Nikos says. 'He spent too much Aura protecting himself when he fell. If he can't rest and regenerate, he'll be in serious danger.' I'm already in serious danger. I'm trapped, in a crevice, underground, and I can't stand up. Sometimes there are disadvantages to being stranded with a peerless warrior: their sense of proportion is completely skewed.

'We need to get back to the others,' Arc says firmly. No shit. 'Pyrrha, you keep going. See if you can find a way out. I'll stay with Russel.'

'Make him rest, but keep him from falling asleep,' Nikos says. 'Talk to him, make him focus. Try and get him to fight with you, he seems to enjoy that.' Her voice is very dry. 'Try and keep him warm and hydrated, too.'

'What did I ever do to you, Nikos?' I ask.

'She left five minutes ago,' Arc says, sounding startled. I blink at him and look around. Arc was standing above me, talking to Nikos; now he's sitting, leaning against the wall opposite me, with his sword beside him and the flare between us, and I don't remember any of the intervening steps. This is really, really alarming. I try to hide it, though, as I snark, 'The question stands.'

Arc shakes his head. 'So… what do you want to talk about?'

'Nothing.'

'Look, I'm not letting you pass out on me again. We have to talk about something.'

I let my heavy eyes slide closed, and he leans over and shakes my foot. 'Russel! Russel! Stay awake! You could yell at me some more, that'd be fun, huh?'

'I don't yell at you because it's fun, I yell at you because I think you're a dick,' I snap, my eyes opening again.

'Yeah, I know, I know, I snuck into Beacon, I'm a bad person–'

'Why did you even bother?' I demand. 'What's wrong with being something else, like a cop?' Personally I'd die first, but for him it'd be perfect. He could rescue kittens from trees.

'My entire family were Huntsmen and Huntresses,' he says, like that answers the question.

'So why didn't you do it the normal way?'

'I was – pretty sick when I was born. Like, really sick. I was named when they knew my mother was pregnant, because they thought I might not survive long enough for them to decide on a name after I was born.'

Holy shit. I did not see this coming. Arc doesn't have a lot of personal filters, does he? I raise an eyebrow at Arc. 'Ok…'

'Well… I mean, I survived, obviously,' he says, looking embarrassed. 'But I was the only son, and my dad was terrified that I would die and the Arc name would be lost.' I snort, and Arc nods, looking embarrassed. 'He's _really_ old-fashioned. I mean, he can't imagine my sisters having kids until they marry, and he can't imagine them marrying and keeping their own name, so he sort of thought I was his only chance. So he never let me train. He said there was no dishonour in it when I was the only son in the family, and when I had been so sick for so long.'

'That's the stupidest reason for sneaking into Beacon that I've heard in my life,' I say flatly. 'Why didn't you just tell him you wanted to be a Huntsman?'

'Because I didn't realise I did!' Arc protests. 'I went along with him for so long that it took me years to realise what I wanted. And – I couldn't see another way to do it. I mean, how do you argue with your parents?'

'With a Ouija board,' I say curtly.

'Oh god. Oh god, Russel, I'm sorry. God, I keep putting my foot in my mouth, don't I?'

'Don't try and change the subject,' I order. 'Sneaking into Beacon was a dick move. You realise that there was someone who actually deserved to be here who wasn't thanks to you, right?'

'No, there wasn't!' Arc insists. 'The school can take a maximum number of students a year, but it didn't this year. That's how Ruby got in, there weren't enough who qualified in the entrance exams! There were additional spots and I just – took one of those.'

'That's another thing, how did you even pass the entrance exams?' I add.

Arc hangs his head. 'I said I was sick and applied to have my entry determined on the basis of my academic transcripts.'

'You're shameless, you know that?' I ask dispassionately. 'You still don't see anything wrong with sneaking in. If you were partnered with anyone but Nikos, you'd be dead.'

'I'm learning to help people,' Arc insists.

'Yeah, with a rotten foundation. What are you going to do when someone finds out you lied? You'll get kicked out. Nikos knows, so she'll get kicked out. CRDL will get kicked out, and they'll ask the rest of JNPR and RWBY pretty closely if they knew. You'll be lucky if you don't get prosecuted, you know?'

'Nobody will find out,' Arc insists.

'If Cardin hadn't gone power-mad, I'd have told someone,' I say flatly.

'Why?!'

'Because what. You did. Was. Wrong,' I say, enunciating clearly. 'How can you be a legitimate Huntsman when you fucked it up from the beginning?'

He doesn't answer and I look away, full of contempt.

'Russel!' He's shaking me. I slap his hands away.

'What is your problem?!'

'You blacked out on me!' he snaps. 'You've been unconscious for like thirty seconds, even with me trying to wake you!'

What he says reminds me of something. 'How long was I unconscious the first time? How long did it take you and Nikos to realise I wasn't with you?'

His face fills with shame, but he doesn't look away. 'Almost three minutes. We ran back, so – about five all up?'

I snort, and wrap my arms around myself. It's freezing down here. Arc sees, and, with great reluctance, seats himself next to me, to try and keep me warm. 'You're not used to being cold, are you?'

'Vacuo is a hot place,' I say curtly, resenting the fact that I have to keep talking to him, resisting the urge to move away. If he puts his arm around me I'm punching him in the side of the head.

'So – uh – you grew up there?'

'Obviously.' To hell with Lie Ren. To hell with being nice to Arc. This is like a special kind of hell, tailored for me. Small talk with someone I actually hate. I'm just lucky we're not walking slowly as we do so.

'Hey, I don't want to be here either,' Arc snaps. _'You're_ the one who needs to stay awake.'

'I grew up in Vacuo and I left when my girlfriend died,' I snarl. 'Happy?'

'She was a Huntress, wasn't she?'

'Yeah. Ironic that she died in a Grimm attack, isn't it?' I ask bitterly.

'It's sad when anyone dies,' he says, sounding shocked.

'You should write those little cards,' I say. '"It's sad when someone dies". "It's your birthday. You should be happy."'

I hear Arc's teeth grinding together, and despite myself, I cheer up a little. 'So,' he perseveres, 'You and Yang, huh?'

And now he thinks we're friends. _Wonderful_. 'No,' I say coldly.

'Well, yeah, I mean, you're kind of angry at each other, but, you know… I get the impression you want to fix it.'

'Because you know us so well?' I ask rudely.

'Well, not really, but, for one thing, you keep looking at each other when you think nobody is looking. And then there's the fact that she hasn't been sleeping…'

Yang hasn't been sleeping?

'And, you keep getting angry at each other over nothing, though I kind of guess that's pretty standard for you?'

Ok, silence is definitely the only course of action. I'm going to cut off his conversational oxygen. And if that doesn't work, then I'm going to cut off his actual oxygen and take my chances with Nikos, if she ever comes back.

Arc grabs my shoulder. 'Russel!'

'I'm conscious!' Unfortunately.

'I just think–'

'Ok,' I say. ' _Enough_. Arc, you are literally the last person in the world I'm going to get buddy-buddy with, alright? It took actual, physical helplessness to keep me in the same place as you. So just _shut up_ before I kick your teeth in.'

'I don't think you really can at the moment…'

'My memory isn't depleted.'

'Listen, your team has probably given you advice to help you, right?' he persists.

' _Why_ are you _still talking_?' I ask disdainfully.

'Because Yang is my friends and I want to give you advice to help _her_.'

I hesitate, then say reluctantly, 'You have thirty seconds.'

Arc nods once and bursts into speech. 'She told you about Violet because she didn't want to keep secrets from you and she didn't want you to not know that we all knew. Then you got angry at her and made her think that you _did_ want to keep secrets from her plus she thought that you were angry that she cared which made her think that you were just interested in her for her looks and not for an actual relationship. So you need to apologise.'

' _I_ need to apologise?' I snarl. 'She sprung my dead girlfriend on me!'

'She tried to tell you about something important to her and then you cut her off so that she thinks she isn't important to you,' Arc babbles on. He really took that thirty seconds thing seriously. 'So… yeah. You need to apologise. Yang would apologise, but Russel, she thinks you just don't care about her either way.'

Oh god. That felt like a kick to the gut. How could she think I don't care? Because you yelled at her when she was trying to be nice to you. Bite the hand that feeds you, alright.

'She startled me,' I mutter. It's not a total explanation, but he gets what I mean with it.

'I just think you need to explain that,' Arc says. 'If she knows you have feelings for her, she'll apologise for hurting them. At the moment, she just doesn't _know._ I mean, you disappeared onto your mission pretty quickly.'

Because I couldn't face her. Because I had started to question myself, because I was so afraid of something new.

Damned if I'm telling Arc this, though. 'I'll – think about it,' I mutter.

Encouraged, he continues. 'And you know, maybe you could stop _yelling_ at people–'

'Don't push your luck,' I advise at my normal volume.

'Shutting up now.'

'Thanks,' I add grudgingly after a moment.

'It's fine. I just hope I'm right. I wish Pyrrha were here, she's a lot smarter about this stuff than I am.'

'No shit.'

'Russel… why do you care so much about what I did?' Arc asks plaintively. 'I don't want to point fingers, but, I mean, your team has done way worse things. Why does it bother you so much?'

'Cardin, Sky and Dove are trying to change themselves, so that they won't keep doing bad things. You're _profiting_. You claim to be a hero and you act like – not even a villain. You act like a side-character whose villainy is there to show what a bad person the real bad guy is.' I lean my head back and stare up into darkness. I'm lying, but he doesn't know that.

'I... don't believe you.'

Points for courage. Since when did I get so transparent? I used to be able to lie to people. Then again, I wasn't trying when I was on the verge of passing out. 'Fine. You really want to know why I'm pissed? I _earned_ my spot at Beacon. You just waltzed in and helped yourself, like every other entitled little prick I've ever met.'

'I don't think I'm entitled,' Arc says softly. 'But - maybe I am. My family gave me whatever I asked for, because they could remember when they thought they might lose me. And I guess I should have turned into a brat, but - really, I felt like I was suffocating. Getting into Beacon was the only thing I could get for myself, you know? Even the way I did it. Especially the way I did it. If I had done it normally, my father would have paid for combat training and he would have found someone to spar with me and I would have become the fighter he thought I should be. I know I did the wrong thing, but for the first time in my life, _I_ did it. At Beacon, I'm free, and I get to do things for myself, and nobody tries to stop me because they think they know better.'

'Fuck.'

'What?'

'That's why I became a Huntsman too.'

'You're joking.'

'Nope. All the foster-parents I've ever had have always tried to keep me from doing anything interesting, because if I got in trouble, they'd have had to come and bail me out. So I decided to be a Huntsman. Because it meant that I could get away from all those people who told me that it was a bad idea.'

'That you weren't strong enough,' Arc says softly.

'That you should listen to them because they were older and supposedly knew better.'

'That you were someone when you knew you were someone else,' Arc finishes.

A moment of silence.

'This doesn't make us friends,' I warn him.

'I didn't act within my nature when I applied to Beacon,' Arc said softly. 'I knew it was wrong. it took me three months to make up my mind. And then I came here, and I thought I had been wrong. and then I met Pyrrha, and Ren, and Nora – I'm happy here. You can't ask me to regret that. And Pyrrha's happy that I'm here, and I _helped_ people. During the breach, I helped people. If I got put in jail today, I'd think it was all worth it, because some people who would have gotten hurt just didn't.'

'A choice with no regrets, huh?' I ask cynically.

'Yes,' Arc says firmly. 'I don't get you, Russel. Ren says you're a good person, Ruby says you're a good person, Dove is a huge fan, you can even make Pyrrha laugh, but you go around acting like – like–'

'A total dick?' I suggest.

'Yes! I don't see what there is in you to like.'

'Funnily enough,' I say, 'I thought the same thing when Ren was spouting your praises. I was trying to work out what a guy that smart saw in someone so pathetic.'

'Geez, tell me how you really feel.' He waits a moment. 'So… what'd you decide?'

'That I still have no clue, but that ther's got to be something. Unless Valkyrie hit him on the head one time too many.'

'Thanks a bunch. Have a candy, and don't spit it in my face.'

* * *

 **As per usual, I have no idea if what I wrote about Jaune is correct. If his family has such a history of being warriors, then I feel like his family would have been much more supportive of him being a Huntsman. Even if they were devout pacifists, they should have appreciated his desire to protect people.**

 **So that's the resolution to the Russel-Jaune conflict. Hopefully it was satisfactory; a sort of agree-to-disagree, almost, but a little less disagreement and a little more 'Hmm, he seems actually very like me as a person'. I felt the whole 'yelling at each other' aspect had been well and truly hashed out; what they really needed was to be forced to talk to each other. Hence the actual physical helplessness.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

'He's just not a good actor.'

'He's a brilliant actor!'

'He has the emotional range of a plank.'

'He's in action movies, you don't need an emotional range!'

'He's in action movies _because_ he has no emotional range.'

'His death scenes are _heartbreaking_.'

'And the only reason they keep killing him is so all those people who don't like him will still come see the movie.'

Arc's mouth opens and closes, and finally he says, 'Shut up and eat your candy.'

I check the package. 'Last one. You want it?'

'You need it more than I do.' Arc checks his watch. 'Pyrrha has been gone for half an hour.'

'Didn't you work out when she should come back?'

'Yeah, she said she'd be back by now.' Arc gives the dark tunnel a worried look.

'You should go and look for her,' I say hopefully.

' _No_ ,' Arc says impatiently. 'I just hope she's ok…'

'She'll be fine. She's Pyrrha Nikos! Plus, Coco Adel is watching the perimeter. You really think, between those two, the Grimm have a chance?'

Arc grins reluctantly. 'She scares me.'

'Who, Nikos or Adel?'

'Coco!'

'I'd have said both.'

'I'm going to take that as a compliment,' an amused voice said. Arc started to his feet, but it was Nikos, wandering out of the darkness with a smile on her face. 'I'm sorry I'm late,' she added. 'This tunnel doesn't seem to end. In fact, it branches off. I'm sure I can smell fresh air, too.'

'So what you're saying,' I say slowly, 'is that Sky is going to have to come down here and have a look around whether he likes it or not?' I beam.

'I guess where we came in is our best bet for getting out, then,' Arc says. 'Can you walk, Russel?'

I pop Niko's last candy into my mouth and rise. I feel much better, though still a bit weak about the knees. 'Sure.'

We begin to trudge back, slowly this time, Nikos and Arc watching me like hawks. I don't object; it's scary how quickly my strength disappeared. A battered soul is nothing to scoff at.

God, I wish I knew why Nikos fell into the crevice. I can accept her not getting the same sort of damage I did; she landed on her feet, away from the main fall of debris. That's because she was standing several metres to the side, _on solid fucking ground!_ And Arc, he landed after I did, because the bit of debris that snagged him fell first, lodged in the wall, and then caught him on his way down. But he wears armour, he should have landed first because he's heavier than me. I caught him, he knocked me loose, then something caught my spaulder, then something caught _him_ , then I pulled him over the edge, then we _both_ pulled Nikos over the edge –

'Ok, I give up,' I announce. 'I fucking give up. Nikos. What is your Semblance?'

'You can't just ask her that!' Arc says, indignant.

'It's driving me mad!' I exclaim. 'It's not telekinesis, but it's _something_ , because I know we pulled you over the edge with us. And whatever it is, it broke my spaulder, so…' I come to a stop. My spaulder. Arc's armour. A thrown dagger that misses a target from three feet away. 'Is your Semblance,' I say slowly, unable to believe it, ' _magnetism_?'

One look at her face tells me I'm right. 'Your Semblance is magnetism,' I repeat.

She freezes, her face full of shame and fear, waiting to see what my response is, staring at the ground as if afraid to meet my eyes.

I start to laugh.

She and Arc whip their heads around to stare at me. 'Sorry,' I say. 'It's just – you really –' I have to stop and catch my breath. I'm laughing too hard to get the words out.

'You're not – angry?' Nikos says after a moment, sounding stunned.

'Are you kidding?' I lean back against the wall of the ravine and wipe my streaming eyes. 'I'm furious. But at the same time…' I grin at them both. 'You got to admit, it's pretty funny.'

Nikos and Arc both look desperately bewildered. 'You're taking this… really well,' Arc says.

I shrug at him. 'You don't think it's funny? Your partner can just mess with us at any given point and we wouldn't even know. All of our weapons are metal. I mean, hell, Cardin, Sky and Dove wear _armour_. _Armour_ , and we had to fight a girl with the Semblance of _magnetism_?' I start to laugh again, just thinking of it.

'I'm… pleased that you're… not angry?' Nikos says doubtfully.

'Oh, no, like I said, I'm kind of angry about it,' I say, stretching back. 'But not at you. Mostly just that we wasted so much time without even realising it. Plus, you did just try to save my life. I guess we were too heavy?'

'You had no metal on you that I could hold after your spaulder broke,' she says apologetically.

'The Invincible Girl,' I muse. 'Nikos, I have to hand it to you: you are one magnificent bitch.'

'Hey!' Arc yells.

'Fuck off, it's a compliment.'

'Then thank you,' Nikos says uncertainly.

'And I'm telling my team what your Semblance is.'

'You can't!' Nikos gasps.

'Why not? I worked it out fair and square.'

'Because – because –' She struggles for words, looking tearful. 'Everyone will know that I'm not who I say I am. Everyone will know I'm a liar. You can't, Russel, you can't!'

'I said Cardin, not the Vale news,' I say bitingly. 'Besides, what's it going to change? We're not going to suddenly start to practice with other, non-metal weapons just to beat you.' Actually, I totally am, but now's not the time to mention that, I think. 'And I'm not keeping this sort of secret from my team. Sorry, Nikos. You're just going to have to gut up and keep handing us our asses. It'll be tough, but I have every faith in you.'

She doesn't respond. She just looks sick and scared. It's unnatural on her. Again, I cave. 'You know,' I say in a casual tone, 'I have to be honest, I kind of think using your Semblance like that makes you _more_ impressive. How many people have ever realised? You've got mastery over your Semblance, you've got mastery over physical combat, and you've got mastery over psychological warfare _and_ marketing. I mean seriously, what more do you want? Actual divinity?'

I look over to grin at her. 'I'm telling my team. They'll keep it to themselves, but don't be surprised if Cardin shows up and asks for lessons in how to be you. As I said: you are a magnificent bitch.'

Nikos is looking shocked and – slightly proud? Man I'm good. 'You're not nearly as unkind as you make yourself out to be, are you?' she says, her voice trembling a little.

'If you tell anyone, I'll deny it,' I warn her.

'I agree with Pyrrha,' Arc says. 'You're a surprisingly good guy. I don't suppose you could use our first names, though? It's just weird talking to you. You're the only one who uses our surnames. Why is that, anyway?'

'Habit,' I say without thinking.

'What, they only use surnames in Vacuo?'

This is getting too personal. I start to walk again. 'We should keep moving.'

* * *

We get to the place where we came in. 'Is it just me,' I say thoughtfully, 'or is there a lot more rubble than there was?'

'It looks like the rest of the building fell in,' Nikos agrees.

'Glad we weren't here for that,' Arc says. 'You reckon we can climb up onto it?'

We all step back and take a look. There are lots of planks, lying crazily against the walls of the crevice. There are bricks and chunks of masonry everywhere, and there are iron girders sticking out here and there.

'You should just make a ladder,' I say, pointing at the girders. 'Like, put them up and just hold them in place for us. With your Semblance. Of magnetism.'

'Can you do that?' Arc asks Nikos solicitously.

Nikos shrugs. 'There's certainly no reason not to.' Meaning if I hadn't worked it out you would have let us stay stuck down here? Thanks, Nikos. Thanks a bunch. 'Are you up to climbing, though, Russel?'

I check my scroll. 'I'm in the amber. I should be fine. Uh… Don't suppose you guys would agree to not tell anyone I fainted, yeah? Kind of embarrassing.' And, of course, Cardin would jump to the conclusion it was my Semblance.

'You need to rest and recover,' Nikos says sharply.

'But you still won't tell them I fainted?' I ask hopefully.

Arc rolls his eyes. 'We won't tell them you fainted.'

It's a surprisingly simple maneuver. As Arc and I stay well out of range, Nikos places her hands on the girders, and then, with a grunt of effort, she steps back and raises her hands into the air. With a groan of protesting rock, the metal rises into the air and leans against the wall of the crevice.

'Go,' she calls, her voice steady.

We jog forward and start to scale the metal. It's textured and rough, and gives us plenty of grip. As we scramble up, I start to breathe heavily, but I make it to the stop, and so does Arc. 'You know,' I pant, watching Nikos wrap a second and third girder around the first to hold it in place so she can climb out, 'Your partner has a lot of potential to be absolutely _terrifying_.'

'Jaune! Russel!' a delighted voice calls out. I turn around, and am flattened by Nora Valkyrie, who has decided the appropriate way to greet me is to hurl herself into a flying hug. We hit the ground and skid back towards, the crevice, but Belladonna, appearing out of nowhere, fires her weapon and wraps the ribbon around my leg, then jerks us back to safety. I hit the ground for the second time in ten seconds and seriously consider just not getting up.

'Valkyrie,' I say, my voice surprisingly calm. 'Get off me.'

She leaps to her feet. I disentangle Belladonna's ribbon and look at her. 'Thanks.'

All three teams are there, and all of them are gaping at me. 'What _happened_?' Cardin yells.

'Building fell on me,' I say, getting up. 'Why do you ask?'

'You are _covered_ in blood,' Sky says flatly.

I glance down. I'm a gory mess. 'Huh.'

Nikos leaps out of the crevice, rolls, and comes to her feet in the same smooth movement. I sigh and wish I could chalk that one up to magnetism. 'Hello again!' she says brightly.

'Why are you guys here?' Arc asks. We start to walk towards the campsite. Cardin, Sky and Dove are keeping a close eye on me, and I sigh again. I forgot that their scrolls were linked to mine. They probably got a warning when I collapsed.

'We couldn't do anything to help you with that building breathing down our necks,' Sky says. 'Ruby and Weiss went to get the team with the heavy weapons so that they could break the building down. I figured at least we'd have room to work that way.'

'Sky's Semblance is great!' Rose says brightly. 'He knew when you guys left to find another way out, so he said we could just knock the building into the crevice and you guys could maybe climb out!'

We reach the campsite and I start to rummage in my pack for fresh clothing. Before I can pull anything out, someone kneels down next to me. I look up, expecting to see Cardin or Sky, but it's Yang. Before I can say anything, she seizes my wrist and checks my scroll.

'I already promised Nikos I'd chill out,' I say quickly.

She meets my eyes, and wordlessly rises to sit around the fire.

I change my clothes and wash the blood off my face, then return to join the others around the fire. It's only midday, apparently, and Ren is cooking lunch.

'And then,' he's explaining to Dove, 'you make the sauce in the same pot with the water you used to boil the pasta.'

'And then you add the rosemary, right?' Dove asks, a look of intense concentration on his face.

I sit down, opposite Yang. 'Yang,' I begin, my voice low. I'm interrupted by Ruby Rose, flinging herself down beside her sister.

'This has been a crazy day,' she begins.

'Ruby!' Schnee says, in an exasperated voice, walking past and seizing Rose by her hood. 'Come on!'

'Wait, what are we doing?' Rose asks, confused.

'We have to go and get Coco for lunch, _remember_?' Schnee says.

'I don't remember agreeing to this…' Rose's voice trails off as Schnee physically hauls her down the passageway. Belladonna goes with them without a word.

Yang forces a smile at me. 'Sorry. Little sisters can be a pain. What were you saying?'

'Just that–'

'Hey, how hungry are you guys?' Dove calls from the fire.

I bite back a groan of frustration. 'Very!' I call in a clipped voice.

'Like normal very, or very-very–'

Sky leans over and says something in a low voice to Dove. Dove quickly looks around on the ground. 'Uh, we're going to grab – more plates.' He and Sky quickly disappear into the room where the equipment is stored. Cardin takes one look at my face and follows them.

I turn back to Yang. 'Yang, listen, I really need to–'

Arc plops himself down right next to me. 'Man, I'm starving! Something about falling into a hole in the ground really…' He trails off. Maybe he's wondering why Yang and I are both glaring at him.

'Let's go and – find Ruby!' Nikos says quickly. 'Come on, Jaune!'

It seems to work, so I turn my glare on Valkyrie and Ren. Ren just raises an eyebrow at me, but he still puts down the spoon and says calmly, 'Come on, Nora. Let's go and make our sleeping bags.'

I draw in a deep, calming breath and turn back to Yang, then start to laugh. 'This is pathetic.'

She's smiling too. 'What did you want to say?'

I open my mouth and my brain freezes up. Oh god. What do I say? What can I say? There's only one thing. 'You – were going to tell me something, and I cut you off.'

She knows what I'm talking about. Her face tenses, and she looks down. 'Just that my mother was a Huntress who went on a mission and never came back. So – I know how it feels, to lose someone. And it wasn't a kitten at age ten,' she adds with spirit.

'I'm sorry I yelled at you,' I say.

'I'm sorry I surprised you,' Yang says.

There's still a feeling of things unsaid. 'Violet,' I begin, and stop. 'I would have told you,' I begin again.

'It's fine,' Yang says, not looking at me. 'Ruby and I didn't even tell our teammates about our mother for a semester and a bit.'

'It's not that,' I say. 'I would have told you she died. But the truth is… she killed herself.' I'm looking at the ground. 'She put her weapons down and she let a Grimm kill her. And I was there. But… I don't think she knew. I don't think she wanted me to see that. I think.'

For a long moment, Yang is silent. Now I'm the person who can't look at the other, for fear of what their face might reveal. Her voice, when she speaks, is almost emotionless. 'Ruby and I aren't full sisters, y'know. When I was a baby, my mother left me with our father and disappeared. I thought Ruby's mother was my mum too… and then she died, and Dad told me the truth.'

I look up sharply. 'So you do know…' I trail off. She does know what? How it feels to be abandoned? How it feels to be not enough to make someone stick around? How it feels to bear guilt for something that's not even close to being your fault?

It doesn't matter. She does know.

We meet each other's eyes, and we smile. 'Russel,' Yang begins, her voice soft.

Right on cue, Coco Adel appears out of nowhere like the Ghost of Christmases Ruined by People Dropping In Unexpectedly. 'Where is everyone?' she demands, and sniffs the air. 'What's burning?'

'Ren's _sauce_ ,' I sigh, throwing myself over to the fire and frantically stirring. 'Whatever, he can probably save it with tarragon or something.'

Coco eyes me. 'What happened to you?'

'I got crushed under the weight of your ego,' I snap.

'Brat, please. If I wanted to crush you, you'd be dead,' she sniffs.

'God forbid things be that simple,' I mutter, casting a quick look at Yang. To my relief, she's smiling. Maybe they actually could be.

The rest of our group appear from the shadows, and Ren begins to dole out pasta with a sad shake of his head over the sauce. 'Brown sugar?' Dove suggests hopefully.

'Not in this instance,' Ren says.

'I like it,' Schnee announces. 'It tastes - smoky.'

'If you give me four helpings I'll take it to the others,' Coco says. 'Oh, and Blake, here's your bag.' She tosses a small knapsack at Belladonna. Belladonna catches it, looking startled. 'Next time, don't leave things lying around outside.'

'My bag?' Belladonna repeats. 'This isn't my bag.'

'It has your name on it,' Coco says impatiently. I glance over; she's right. _Blake Belladonna_ is written on the canvas in thick, curling letters.

Still looking confused, Belladonna opens the bag.

 _B_ _OOM._

* * *

 **The actor that Jaune and Russel are discussing is Spruce Willis. Since Jaune wanted to take Weiss to see his movie, I'm guessing he's a fan.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

My ears are ringing. Since my vision is cloudy and my entire body is numb, that's all I register. My ears are ringing.

My fingers seem to be vibrating in time to the ringing. That's all I can feel, but it's more than a moment ago. My sense of time is returning. My ears are still ringing.

Ow. Ow! My entire body is throbbing, now, especially my neck. Ow. I turn it, to try and ease the pain, and feel my face scrape across concrete. Ow. I blink, and blink again, and see a red light. I blink, and it becomes my scroll, attached to my wrist that is lying next to my face. My scroll is flashing red at me.

I turn my head a little further, but I've reached the limits of my neck. My ears are ringing. I try and turn my head back the other way, but the ground is in the way. I push my shoulders up. Now I can turn my head. I drag my arm under my body, lie on it for a second, then push up, and manage to roll myself over onto my back.

My ears are still ringing, but not as loudly. Thought's returning. I push my arms against the ground and manage to come to an upright position. All around me, I can see limp forms stirring. A dash of red is Ruby Rose, draped across Weiss Schnee's torso. Cardin – he's on his feet. So are Dove and Sky. Armour. They wear armour. Nora Valkyrie is curled up in a ball, her hands wrapped around her head, not responding to Sky's shaking. Ren. Jaune. Sitting up, groaning and looking around, asking questions that I can see but not hear. My ears are ringing.

Pyrrha Nikos, next to Coco Adel, bent over a dark form on the ground. Yang, staggering towards us. She was thrown away, but she seems alright. She seems alright. Pyrrha Nikos and Coco Adel, bent over a dark form – _Blake._

I fall to my feet and manage to make it over to them, collapsing to my knees. Cardin joins us. Oh fuck, Belladonna. She caught the blast at point blank range, and oh god, her face, her neck, her chest. Not even her Aura could save her. She's alive, she's still alive. One eye is ruined, but the other is open, unseeing. She's making gurgling noises.

She's going to die.

'She's going to die,' I say.

'No!' Yang screams. 'No!'

'We have to help her,' Nikos begins.

'They can't.' I'm talking to Cardin. He meets my eyes. I stare at him, willing him to look at me and not my scroll. 'She's going to _die.'_

I lean over and press my hand to Blake's chest, trying to ignore the fact that it feels like mince and gristle rather than smooth skin. My hand sinks instantly into a pool of blood. Cardin reaches out, but he doesn't pull my wrist away; instead, he grabs Adel's wrist, preventing her from stopping me.

I'm so tired. It doesn't matter. She's going to die.

We're all going to die, sooner or later.

Not her. Not here. Not now.

I activate my Semblance as her eyes slide closed.

Oh, Blake. It hurts so much. I hold on, feeling the warmth of the blood under my hand, feeling my skin shift and flex. Red blood runs down my arm, my chest, my face, from cuts that are there one moment and gone the next. I've never tried anything like this. I can feel the both of us, one soul with two bodies, two souls merged. I can feel her heal. I can feel her skin close as mine opens; a warped mirror, a twisted twin. My vision in my left eye blurs. My shirt is a bloody mess, and all I can think is, I just got changed.

Her eyes open. Both her eyes open. They look up at me, and they blink once. She's confused and, I suspect, not too happy to find my hand pressed to her chest. Whatever. Her collarbone is the only thing under my hand. I'm nowhere I shouldn't be. Although, with her shirt ruined like this, I do have a good view of a lot more flesh than is usual for Blake 'Sexy Maid Ninja' Belladonna. It'd probably be more attractive if it wasn't covered in blood, though. Or if it was Yang's skin instead of Blake's. Yang is pretty. She has such nice hair.

Flashes of light are dancing in front of my eyes: sharp blots of red and blue. They're the only light I can see. I should go to clubs more often.

'Russel? Russel!' Cardin's voice sounds like it's coming from far, far away. The blots have expanded, forming a rippling carpet of fire over Blake's face. I can't see her anymore; they're far too thick for that. I can't see anything. My heartbeat pulses in my ears. It's all I can hear now, too. My heartbeat, and a grinding sort of noise, coming from a ways away. I can't seem to tell up from down.

'Russel!'

Somewhere there's the sea. I can hear it, a rushing noise that comes from my very blood. I must have fallen in: I feel weightless. Somewhere above me the tectonic plates themselves are grinding together. They separate, and a beam of light strikes me from – the sun? sunlight? Underwater? Does that make sense? How deep am I?

I collapse to the bottom of the sea, feeling the rough rocks press against my skin. Something warm wraps around me, and my eyes flutter open for a heartbeat – just long enough to see a wave of blood and beyond it, the sunrise.

For the first time, when I think about her, I don't see her eyes. I see her hair. It's sunshine. The eyes are the windows to the soul; the hair is the – what, the window to the heart? Why not? You're stuck with your soul, but your heart can change. You can dye it, cut it, even regrow it.

Mine has, and I didn't even realise until now.

I'm such an idiot.

Then I'm gone, wrapped in sunlight and sinking deep into the depths _._

* * *

'Russel!' Cardin yelled, seizing Russel as he slumped, keeping him from falling on Blake, lowering him to the ground instead. He was deathly pale, and barely breathing. The wounds he had absorbed were gone, but his chest was still covered in blood, just like Blake. His skin, when Cardin touched it, was ice cold and clammy. The scroll on his wrist was performing the tech equivalent of screaming, flashing urgent red to attract the attention of the stupid humans it was meant to help.

 ** _AURA DANGEROUSLY LOW._**

 ** _SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION_** **.**

'Pyrrha, call Fox,' Coco ordered, surging to her feet. 'Yang, watch Blake, give her medical attention. Ruby, Jaune, Cardin, get your teams ready to move. As soon as Velvet, Fox and Yatsuhashi get here, _we are_ _leaving_!' She fell to her knees and pressed her hands to either side of Russel's head. Her sunglasses were gone, lost in the blast. Cardin watched her eyes close, then her hands begin to glow.

He turned away from his partner. It was the hardest thing he'd ever done, but he couldn't help Russel now, and there was more than two people on his team. 'Dove, how's Sky?'

'Deafened,' Dove called. Sky was on his feet, but blood was running from his ears.

'MY SEMBLANCE WAS OFF,' Sky yelled. 'BUT I STILL CAN'T HEAR VERY WELL!'

Cardin held up his hands. 'Get our gear, then help the others pack up.'

He turned back to Coco and knelt, desperate to know what she was doing, but terrified to interrupt.

'Oh my god!' a new voice said. Velvet Scarlatina dashed into the building. ' _What happened?_ '

'Velvet – plane,' Coco grunted.

'Of course!' Velvet turned on her feet and sprinted out. She could move incredibly quickly. Normally Cardin would have entertained a thought or two about how it was probably due to all her years of running away after stealing something, but right now, he really couldn't find the energy to care.

He glanced back, to check Dove and Sky were ready. Their bags, and his and Russel's, were stacked with the others and they were helping Nora and Ren pack what little of the cooking equipment had survived the blast. Ruby and Weiss were clustered around Blake, who was sitting on the ground, staring straight ahead. She seemed to be in shock. Yang was tossing RWBY's bags into the pile, throwing them with more force than was required.

Pyrrha and Jaune appeared out of nowhere, kneeling down next to Cardin. 'What is she doing?' Cardin whispered, turning his attention back to Coco.

'She's trying to feed her Aura to Russel,' Pyrrha whispered. 'It's a difficult technique–'

'So shut the _fuck_ up and let me _get on with it_ ,' Coco growled in a voice very different to her usual polished boredom.

Cardin bit his lip and didn't move. He knew Russel was still alive, but – it didn't look like he was breathing…

There was the sound of engines outside, and Fox Alistair bounded into the building. 'Plane's here, Coco,' he yelled.

Coco opened her eyes. 'Get on board,' she ordered. 'Anything not packed gets left behind. _Move_ , first-years!'

RWBY and JNPR hurried for the plane as Yatsuhashi Daichi appeared with a stretcher. Cardin watched the massive Huntsman lift Russel on, then seized one end before Fox could. As Cardin and Yatsuhashi trotted up the ramp, Coco and Fox darted ahead. Velvet was in the pilot's seat; Fox strapped himself into the co-pilot's seat. 'Quick as you can, Velvet, and this time we won't even threaten you with death.'

* * *

The mood in the cargo area was awful. Russel, strapped into his stretcher, lay in the middle of the floor. The trainees sat around it, ready to seize it if there was turbulence, sitting in the centre of a cloud of things unsaid. Coco knelt at his head, still trying to feed him her Aura. Yatsuhashi sat behind her, his eyes sharp and alert. Blake slumped between Yang and Weiss. Nora was huddled next to Ren, and Pyrrha and Jaune sat side-by-side, their legs touching. Sky, Dove and Cardin all sat in a row beside each other, their eyes fixed on Russel. Sky was turning Russel's spaulder over in his hands. He hadn't had a chance to return it before the bomb went off.

'Did anyone think to grab the bag?' Jaune asked finally.

Everyone shook their heads.

'Because it must have had a bomb in it,' Jaune began.

Pyrrha nudged him sharply. Jaune shut up. In a distant part of his mind, Cardin realised that nobody had asked the obvious question: who had packed a bag with enough explosives to get through an Aura, and then put Blake Belladonna's name on it?

'I – don't understand what happened,' Blake said. 'He saved me. How did he save me? Why did he save me?'

'It's Russel's Semblance,' Cardin said. 'He can absorb injuries and then get rid of them. It's why he's bloody. But – with his Aura already so low…' He trailed off, shaking his head.

'That's his Semblance?' Jaune asked in a voice full of wonder. 'Wow.'

'Don't bring it up,' Sky said bluntly. 'It's a sore subject for him.' Because of course Jaune would have the chance to stick his foot in his mouth around Russel again. Of course. It was Jaune's Semblance, Cardin suspected, his unique ability to say the precise thing to raise Russel's hackles. It had to be. And he would do it again.

'Because…' Ruby quickly trailed off.

'He thinks it makes him a liability in the field,' Cardin said harshly and with finality in his tone.

'My heart _stopped_ ,' Blake said suddenly. 'I felt my heart _stop._ I was dead!' Yang, sitting next to her, wrapped her arms around her. Blake was shuddering, Cardin realised. He knew how she felt.

'You need more than that to be dead,' Coco said, startling them all.

'Not _comforting_ , Coco…' Fox called warningly from the front of the place.

'She's right. You were just injured,' Sky said. 'If Russel's Aura wasn't low, you'd have both been fine.'

'But – why did he save me?' Blake asked desperately.

'Because you were bleeding to death?' Cardin suggested, some of his anxiety creeping into his tone as biting sarcasm.

'I don't think he could bear to let another Faunus girl die,' Dove said without thinking.

There was a very heavy silence for a very long moment. 'Guess the cat's out of the bag,' Yang mumbled, unable to stop herself if her life depended on it.

'You're _Faunus_?' Sky blurted, twisting to stare at Blake.

'How did you know?' Blake whispered, mortified.

'I just sort of worked it out,' Dove said with a shrug, carefully not looking at Cardin or Sky.

'And you told Russel?' Weiss demanded indignantly.

'Uh, no. No, he worked it out on his own too.' Dove was determinedly staring at the opposite wall, apparently oblivious to the burning glare Cardin was giving him.

'When?' Yang demanded.

'Me, after a couple of months. Russel, maybe, like… the very first time he saw you?' Dove said in a rush, screwing his face up apologetically.

' _How_?' Blake demanded, her eyes narrowing to golden slits.

'Well, to quote Russel…"Dude, she has ears."'

Ren surprised everyone by letting out a short laugh. 'Sounds like something he'd say.'

'He didn't say anything to me!' Cardin said. Coco was keeping her face carefully neutral. Fox and Velvet were staring out the window of the plane like their lives depended on it. In a corner of his mind Cardin wondered if Velvet had known Blake was Faunus. He wondered how she felt now if she hadn't.

Dove shrugged. 'You're really surprised? I mean, Russel kept his own secrets pretty damn well, you really think he wouldn't keep everyone else's?'

Cardin's eyes dropped. 'Makes sense,' he mumbled.

After a moment, Pyrrha said hesitantly, 'Will – will you let his family know?'

'No, he has none. His parents died. In the Ursai invasion of Vacuo, they were Hunters, I think,' Sky said absently.

' _What_?' Ren and Yang said at the exact same time. 'His parents died in the invasion?' Ren added.

Cardin looked at them, startled. 'But...You studied it, didn't he tell– Never mind. I just remembered who we were talking about. Of course he didn't fucking tell you. God!'

'He has no parents?' Nora repeated, her head coming up. Ren shifted uneasily, his eyes resting on her, but she just looked from Cardin to Sky.

'We're going to have to have a talk with Russel about the differences between privacy and paranoia,' Sky said, his voice trembling only slightly.

'He told me his parents were dead. He never said that they died in the invasion,' Ren said. Under the even tone, there was a shade of hurt.

Dove spread his hands, eyes full of dark humour. 'And that, in a nutshell, is Russel's approach to life. Why else do you think he knew so much about the invasion?'

'He _studied_ the way his parents died?' Weiss asked, looking horrified and disgusted.

'They died when he was one and his grandmother died when he was four,' Cardin said sharply. 'How else was he supposed to find anything out about them?'

Sky toyed with the spaulder in his hand. In it, tucked in between the lining, was a photograph of the monument in Vacuo, erected after the invasion: a massive sundial, inscribed with the names of those who had fallen to the Grimm. On it, he knew, were Russel's parents.

He exchanged a furtive look with Cardin, who instantly shook his head. The mood would not be improved by producing the photograph. A thick, depressed silence had already fallen; if everyone in the room began to contemplate a situation where the only memory of their parents that they possessed was a photograph of a monument to said parents' deaths, Cardin was worried they'd start getting swarmed by Nevermore.

Yang wrapped a surreptitious arm around Ruby, holding her little sister close. After a moment, her second arm snaked out and secured Blake around the waist. Neither Ruby nor Blake struggled against the hold. Nora and Ren moved closer together, Pyrrha bowed her head and Jaune put a hand on her shoulder, and Sky and Dove reached out without a word and took each other's hand. Weiss looked away from them all, struggling to regain her composure.

'He told me once he didn't remember them,' Cardin said eventually. 'I don't think he missed them.' He rubbed his forehead. 'No, that's not true. But he's realistic enough to be able to accept that Huntsman and Huntresses die. He never felt like – like they threw their lives away. He could see… reason in their deaths.

'I'm still going to kill him, though,' Cardin said, raising his voice. 'He should have told us about his Semblance far earlier.'

'He never told you?' Jaune asked, startled.

'Only a few days ago,' Dove said bitterly.

'I'm starting to realise why,' Sky said, pitching his voice to his team.

Cardin shook his head. 'If she wasn't dead, I'd kill her.'

'Are you talking about – his girlfriend?' Ruby asked tentatively. In such a small space, there was no point in pretending they couldn't hear.

'You can't blame her for dying in a Grimm attack,' Blake said sharply.

'No, she–' Cardin began impatiently, then stopped. After a moment, he said in a more measured voice, 'You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just upset.'

'She _did_ die in a Grimm attack, didn't she?' Ren asked suspiciously.

Cardin let out a mirthless laugh. 'Yep. Ursai.'

'Oh god,' Yang said, pressing her hand to her mouth. 'Just like his parents.'

'Ironic, isn't it,' Cardin said grimly. He rubbed his face. So much for improving the mood. 'Sorry,' he said randomly.

'So first his parents, then his grandmother, then his girlfriend,' Coco said, looking up. 'He's like an angel of death.'

'You know who'd probably agree with you if he ever heard you say that?' Dove asked with a deep and terrible patience. 'Russel. You know who you should _never say that in front of_? Go on. _Guess_.'

Coco sat back. 'Whatever. He's alive for now –'

' _Coco_!' Fox yelled.

'–but as soon as we get back to school, he's gotta go to the infirmary,' Coco continued. She got to her feet and swayed slightly, pressing a hand to her forehead. Yatsuhashi surged to his feet and caught her arm, but she waved him away and stumbled to the front of the plane to talk to Velvet and Fox.

'She's faded,' Yatsuhashi murmured. 'That technique is draining.'

'And none of you have any reason to like my team,' Cardin said flatly.

'There's that,' Yatsuhashi said. 'You all broke green when the rest sped white.'

There was a moment of total silence as the trainees thought hard. 'I can't argue with that,' Cardin said honestly.

'Yatsuhashi's from outside the kingdoms,' Coco said, returning. 'Nobody ever knows what he means. We're a few minutes away from the school.'

'That was fast,' Weiss said.

'Yeah, Velvet broke a _lot_ of laws to get us here this quick, and I don't think they'll be able to use this plane again without a new engine. Still, now your friend has a chance.'

* * *

The plane touched down with a gentle thump and the door opened. A horde of medical staff, dressed in white, surged into the plane, descending on Russel and Blake like sharks on dead meat. As they hurried off towards the infirmary, Cardin hesitated, glancing back at Velvet, emerging from the cockpit.

'I need to talk to you,' he said hastily. 'But later. I'll find you later.'

With that, he, Sky and Dove sprinted off down the ramp after Russel. Yang was already a golden blur in the distance, walking alongside the stretcher that contained a protesting Blake.

'Didn't see that coming,' Jaune mumbled, putting into words what the rest of the group was thinking.

'Come on,' Ruby said to Weiss. 'Let's dump our bags and go to the infirmary.'

'We'll take those,' Pyrrha said. 'Go and be with your teammates.'

Ruby and Weiss sent her grateful smiles and hurried off.

'Blake will be fine,' Weiss said to Ruby, hiding her uncertainty under false confidence. 'Her scroll was bright green.'

'It's not Blake I'm worried about,' Ruby admitted.

'It's just Aura depletion,' Weiss said, her voice brimming with confidence. 'He'll be fine.'

They walked in silence for a few metres, then, without another word between them, they both broke into a run.

* * *

 **So since Russel's going to be out of it for a while (so to speak) I'm going to try something a bit different for the end of this and the next few chapters; let me know what you think of it. I did it before for the dance, but not at this length.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A few people commented on how cold Weiss was last chapter. Personally I've always seen her as a bit of a social sledgehammer when she's dealing with people she doesn't automatically respect (i.e. people her own age rather than businessmen and authority figures) but hopefully this chapter will clear it up a little more.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Ruby and Weiss exploded into the room to find Blake sitting upright in bed, wearing a hospital gown and a frown that both seemed too large for her, with Yang at her side.

'Are you alright?' Weiss exclaimed, charging to Blake's side, looking her over carefully.

'I'm _fine_ ,' Blake said angrily, reaching up and tugging her bow straight. 'Nobody will believe me!'

'They're making her stay overnight for observation,' Yang explained. 'Nobody here knew about – Russel's Semblance, so they don't know how effective it is.'

'How is Russel?' Ruby asked, looking around as if she expected to see him in the corner of the room.

Yang shrugged, smoothing Blake's blanket with her hand. 'They haven't said.'

Ruby and Weiss exchanged glances. There was the visual equivalent of scissors-paper-rock between them, but Ruby's pleading crushed Weiss' reluctance, and Weiss left the room without another word.

She found CRDL sitting in a waiting room that had been installed for just this purpose. Cardin Winchester was sitting with his arms folded and his legs stuck out, staring straight ahead with a blank look on his face. Dove and Sky were sitting, hand in hand, across from him. Weiss settled into a chair and smoothed her skirt, not sure how to start.

Weiss liked Cardin Winchester. He was what she was accustomed to: wealthy, well-trained, raised in the same airless environment as her. She could empathise with him, which wasn't something she found easy. She understood how he thought, and where his emotions came from, and she even – though she'd never admit it – thought that he was slightly handsome (it would never come to anything, though; she had come to Beacon in part to get away from her family, and the fact that Cardin was exactly the sort of boy her father had spent the years of her young adulthood throwing at her was enough to turn Weiss off him like a light switch).

This wasn't an easy conversation, but all Weiss had to do was think about how she'd feel if it was Ruby, and her heart started to melt into her stomach. No wonder Cardin had his arms so tightly crossed; if he really was as similar to her as she thought, he probably felt like he had swallowed live snakes.

'Where's Russel?' Weiss asked. Only someone who knew her would hear the softness in her voice, but Cardin responded to it.

'They're still examining him,' he said huskily. 'He was already low on Aura – and the explosion – he'd have had to spend a couple of days in bed anyway. And using his Semblance…' He scrubbed a rough hand across his eyes. 'Coco Adel saved his life. If she hadn't shared her Aura, he'd be dead.'

'I've never seen that technique,' Weiss said. Communicating through words unsaid was something both she and Cardin had learned at their father's knees. She sometimes wondered how people thought she was an ice queen, when things unsaid bubbled to the surface of the conversation, just waiting for people to pick them out. She often wondered if Cardin felt like she did: surrounded by people who heard nothing and screamed their words and feelings as if she were as deaf as they were.

Cardin hadn't asked how Blake was. He wasn't being ungentlemanly; he heard the absence of 'Blake's not fine' and understood it as 'Blake's fine'. Weiss had asked where Russel was and Cardin had heard her ask _how_ he was; after all, his health would determine where he was in the hospital.

Cardin and Weiss were probably the only people in Beacon Academy who could have a better conversation with things unsaid than with actual words.

'I'm going back to Blake. She's down the hall. She has to stay overnight. Ruby and Yang are there too.' Translation: come find me if something changes, and you know damn well why.

Cardin nodded. Message received. Gratitude conveyed. All in silence.

Weiss walked off, thinking to herself, _I need to spend more time with him. He's good company._

* * *

Nothing much happened after Weiss' visit. A nurse came to lead Sky, still deafened, away for treatment, and Dove went with him. When they returned, the team napped in silence for almost an hour.

The sound of booted feet on the floor shocked them all awake and sent them to their feet, but it was Velvet, Fox and Yatsuhashi, not anyone with news.

'Sorry we shook the can,' Yatsuhashi said, seeing them blink around in shock.

'What?' Cardin mumbled.

'Sorry we woke you,' Velvet said shyly.

''S fine.' Dove rubbed his eyes. 'Time is it?'

'Just getting dark,' Fox said.

'We're looking for Coco,' Velvet added.

'She's in here?' Sky asked, startled.

Fox grinned. 'Can't believe you didn't hear her fighting with Goodwitch over it. She said she didn't need to be poked and prodded over a technique she learned years ago, and Goodwitch said if she wanted to spend her last six months at Beacon training first-year students, to go ahead and keep arguing.'

'She'll be alright, won't she?' Cardin asked, alarmed.

'She'll be fine. That technique is dangerous, though,' Fox said. 'Only Coco and Port can perform it at Beacon.'

'She'd think it was full orange even if it did go pale,' Yatsuhashi said.

'He says that Coco would think saving your teammate's life would be worth it even if she did suffer damage as a result.'

'How much of your time do you spend translating?' Dove asked Velvet, unable to help himself. Velvet ducked her head.

'Coco likes your friend, you know,' Fox said, crossing his arms. 'Despite herself. Not many people are brave enough or dumb enough to be rude to her.'

'None of you have any reason to like us,' Cardin said bitterly. 'Velvet, I am sorry. I am so, so sorry for what I did to you. Russel lashed out because he was grieving, but there's no excuse I can offer, because what I did was inexcusable.'

'The same for us,' Dove said. Sky nodded.

'I'm speaking for all of us when I say that we apologise from the bottom of our hearts,' Cardin finished.

'You're forgiven. Just promise you won't continue,' Velvet said.

Her easy acceptance, her simple condition, made Cardin feel even worse. 'We won't. We haven't. Russel called us out and told us to stop. He wanted to apologise to you immediately.'

'So that's why…' Fox began, and stopped.

'Fox?' Velvet asked. 'What is it?'

'The green-haired kid showed up in our dorms that day,' Fox said. 'We couldn't work out why.'

'I never saw him!' Velvet said, startled. 'What happened to him?'

'Coco.'

'Oh, Fox, she didn't!'

'Of course she did. Cocy's got one response to people messing with her friends.'

'Cocy?' Dove repeated, distracted.

'Don't try and call her that,' Yatsuhashi recommended. 'Fox only does it because he can outrun Coco unless she takes her heels off.'

'I understood that,' Dove said, pleased.

'We all did,' Sky told him.

Waiting for a nurse to appear, Velvet, Fox and Yatsuhashi settled down into chairs. 'So what were you saying about that green-haired kid's girlfriend, in the plane?' Fox asked eventually. 'I thought he and that blonde chick Yang were into each other.'

'They are,' Cardin said. 'Russel's last girlfriend died, though. So – and she was a Faunus, too. But no. No, Russel is pretty attracted to Yang now.'

'And Yang, being the calm and well-balanced individual she is, punched him in the throat, right?' Fox asked hopefully.

'No, but they yelled at each other for a while there,' Dove said drily.

'Isn't punching people Coco's thing?' Sky added.

'Touché.' Fox leaned back and crossed his ankles. 'Relax. You god-awful little pricks apologised to Velvet, so I've got no reason to pick a fight with you.'

'Besides staying in practice?' Sky muttered.

'You sound so conciliatory,' Dove added.

'Shut up, guys,' Cardin ordered. 'He's not wrong.'

'And you shut up too, Fox,' Velvet said firmly, seeing Fox grin and open his mouth. 'What needs to be said has been said.'

At that moment a nurse stepped into the room. 'Your friend's still the same, I'm sorry,' she said to Cardin, Dove and Sky before they could ask. Her eyes were soft with sympathy: she had seen many like them in this waiting room, desperate to know if their teammates were alright, shocked out of their belief in their own immortality and invulnerability. She turned to Velvet, Fox and Yatsuhashi. 'And how can I help you?'

Velvet held up a bag. 'We're on Coco Adel's team. We bought some things for her, since she's here overnight.'

The nurse's sympathy melted into exasperation. 'Oh, _that_ – She called Professor Goodwitch an interfering hag, she told the doctor his hands were colder than Professor Ozpin's social life, and she said the hospital gown we gave her to wear as the ugliest thing she'd seen since she visited a plague ward! She refused to put it on! She's sitting there wrapped in a towel and she said that if we tried to force her she'd punch holes in every bedpan in the infirmary!'

'We brought her pyjamas,' Velvet said. 'And her moisturiser. That should calm her down.'

'Please, come through,' the nurse said. ' _Please._ '

'We're staying here,' Cardin said in response to Yatsuhashi's silent query. 'We're not leaving until we know Russel's alright.'

* * *

Ruby was waiting for Weiss outside Blake's hospital room when Weiss returned. 'Well?' she hissed.

'He's still alive.' Weiss moved to go past Ruby, and Ruby put herself in Weiss' way.

'That's it? Don't you even care? He might _die_.'

'Ruby, just because I don't _sound_ upset doesn't mean I'm don't _feel_ upset,' Weiss said patiently. She had gotten very used to spelling things out for people since coming to Beacon. 'But honestly, what can we do? He'll be alright or he won't. Getting upset won't change that.'

Ruby stepped in front of her again. 'Weiss, you don't understand!' She grabbed Weiss' arm and pulled her away from the door. 'You know about our dad, right, and how he lost my mum _and_ Yang's? I don't think he ever really got over it! He's been alone for _years_ , Weiss, I don't want that to happen to Yang!'

'Oh Ruby,' Weiss sighed, warmed despite herself. She stepped forwards, and to their mutual surprise, she gave Ruby a brief hug. 'It's _just_ Aura depletion _._ I've seen it happen a dozen times. He'll sleep, and they'll give him nutrients and maybe something to strengthen him, and he'll be _fine_.'

'He's the first person Yang's ever liked,' Ruby said stubbornly.

Weiss paused. 'Really? But Yang…' She trailed off, trying to think of a nice way of saying "looks at boys like they're going extinct."

Ruby shrugged. 'I know. But he is. I think he's the first person to really try and see her as more than a fun time. Plus,' and here she grinned briefly, 'I think Yang likes his hair.'

Weiss smiled doubtfully. Ruby saw. 'You don't like Russel, do you?' she asked softly.

'I don't _not_ like him,' Weiss hedged. Ruby frowned at her, and Weiss threw her hands in the air. 'He's a thug!'

'He's actually a pretty nice guy,' Ruby said thoughtfully. 'Once you get past how mean he is. Kind of like you, Weiss.'

'I'm not mean!' Weiss said automatically.

'Sure you're not, Ice Queen,' Ruby said.

Weiss propped her hands on her hips and glared at Ruby, but for the life of her, she couldn't think of a comeback.

* * *

Ren walked into the dorm room in time to stop Nora Valkyrie putting another hole in the wall.

He saw her, holding a chair in her hand, and he moved with all the speed his training had given him to reach her and wrap his arms around her. Nora could have broken his grip – she was stronger than him without even trying – but although she struggled briefly, she eventually collapsed against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

'It's fine,' she felt Ren say, his chest vibrating under her ear as he spoke to Pyrrha and Jaune. 'It's fine.'

'We'll go and check up on Blake,' Pyrrha said and hastily closed the door behind her.

'Nora,' Ren breathed, and Nora cringed away from the disappointment in his voice. She wanted to be angry, but with Ren's arms around her, holding her safe, all she could feel was sad.

'You never _told_ me,' she said, her voice catching.

'I know,' Ren said. 'I know.' He turned from side to side, rocking her just like his parents had done when she was young and sad and lost and couldn't stop crying. 'But I couldn't. It wasn't my secret to tell.'

Nora sniffed. 'You should have told me.'

'It wasn't mine to tell,' Ren repeated. 'You wouldn't have liked it if I had told Cardin about you.'

'Dove,' Nora mumbled.

'What?'

'Cardin is not CRDL's Nora. Dove is. Dove is CRDL's Nora. I am JNPR's Dove. Our names are in the same place and everything.'

'Russel's name is second in CRDL.'

Nora looked up, her eyes full of tears. 'Only if he stays.'

Ren stared at her, his mouth dropping open. Nora pushed her arms against his chest, but he didn't move back. Instead, he tightened his hold on her, as if he never wanted to let go.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Blake decided she'd had enough. Yang, Weiss and Ruby had been chased out hours ago by a nurse who informed them quite sniffily that visiting hours had long since been over. Blake had sat there patiently and listened to the idiot woman scolding her for being blown up and surviving unharmed, and then she had eaten her dinner and pretended to go to sleep and now she was leaving.

The infirmary was never deserted, but at night the nurses and doctors stayed at their stations, only leaving to circulate through the rooms and check on their patients. When things went well, the infirmary was quite often empty, but it was built to contain almost two hundred students. She felt like she was walking through a ghost town, through a better-preserved Mountain Glenn.

Blake shivered, goose bumps rising on her arms. She didn't want to return to Mountain Glenn, and so she couldn't sleep.

Intellectually she knew she couldn't go anywhere. The nurse would be checking her room in a few hours at the most. This – wandering the halls like a little lost spirit – rebellion, that's all it was. Pointless, toothless, clawless rebellion. She'd have a look around, then she'd go back to bed with her tail between her legs like a good little pet, with her tattered dreams trailing behind.

This is pathetic, she thought bitterly. I'm pathetic.

She rounded a corner and came to a dead stop. She had wandered out in a waiting room, two of its walls lined with chairs. Cardin Winchester was sprawled to her left, his arms hanging limp and his legs sticking out in front of him. Dove and Sky were sitting to her right. Dove had shifted three chairs to form a makeshift bed and actually looked quite comfortable. Sky was sitting upright, the only one still awake, reading a book on his scroll. His Semblance, she realised. He didn't need as much light to see as the others. He was as good as a Faunus, in that regard.

Sky had heard her coming. He looked up now, polite enough not to be staring at her as she emerged, and smiled. 'How are you?' he whispered, patting the chair next to him.

Blake hesitated, then padded over and sat down. Sky was a nice guy. She had been all set not to like him, because after all he was a racist, entitled prick. But then Oobleck had put them together and she had walked off with his copy of her favourite book, and he had chased her down and explained that it was his favourite too so he'd like it back. Nothing made for a stronger friendship than shared reading, whether she liked it or not, and of course they'd bonded over their mutual exasperation of Nora Valkyrie. She'd been impressed with Sky's patience in dealing with Nora. He seemed able to recognise fragility in people, and Nora, for all her energy, was very fragile in some aspects.

All in all, despite herself, Blake liked Sky.

'I'm _fine_ ,' she said in a heated whisper. 'I want to go back to my room!'

'You just want to go back to your books,' Sky whispered, a small smile taking the sting out of the words.

Blake blushed, realising that she'd forgotten to ask. 'How's Russel?'

Sky shrugged. 'Still alive. That's – really all they can say at this point. I think, though, that the longer he survives, the better his chances are.'

Blake looked down at his hands. 'He shouldn't have saved me.'

'You're right. He should have let you die,' Sky said, his face totally deadpan. 'Because Russel joined Beacon purely to let people die when he could have saved them.' He blinked. 'Blake, I need to apologise. For what I said about Faunus. We've all apologised to Velvet, but I am sorry. I just didn't think. Not that that's an excuse, but…' He shook his head. 'Sorry. I can understand why you hid your ears. It's because of people like me, and… I'm sorry for that.'

'As long as you change,' Blake said uncomfortably. 'I mean, you obviously have. So… that's alright. Everyone makes mistakes,' she added, her voice more bitter than she intended. She pressed a hand to her chest. She had caught herself doing this over the course of the afternoon. Sometimes, the skin on her collarbone would tingle, and she'd think she could feel a hand pressed there, warm and warming.

Sky noticed her doing so, and raised an eyebrow. 'Why aren't you sleeping?'

'Bad dreams,' Blake said shortly.

'Yeah.' Sky returned to his scroll. 'Me too.' His eyes weren't moving, though his gaze was trained on his scroll. 'I – didn't have my Semblance on when the bomb when off. But I activated it afterwards, so I could read everyone's lips. And the first thing I saw, in all its gruesome glory, was you, bleeding, and Russel, bleeding even worse, if that's possible. I have a feeling that if I fall asleep… all I'll see are people exploding into bloody messes. And they won't be… people who can heal.' He glanced at Dove involuntarily.

'I keep dreaming of Mountain Glenn,' Blake said. 'We went there for our mission. And Ruby fell underground. I can see in the dark, you know. So we were looking for her, underground, and I kept seeing – Mountain Glenn is a tomb. I kept seeing that as we were looking for Ruby, and I was so scared she'd be like the rest when we found her.'

'That's what you're scared of?' Sky asked, startled. 'You just got blown up.'

'I don't remember it, really,' Blake confessed. 'I remember the noise, I remember a lot of pain, but then I remember feeling the pain go away. It was Russel's Semblance. I guess it's just the absence of pain, but it felt so good in comparison that even the pain didn't seem to matter.'

'You still need to sleep,' Sky said gently. 'You look like you do, anyway.'

Blake looked around her. 'Have you been here all night?'

'Of course,' Sky said. 'They tried to kick us out, but Goodwitch told them to let us stay. She said we could stay until we knew for sure.'

'How are _you_?'

'Numb,' Sky said eventually. 'I've always been pretty good at – pushing my emotions away. Thinking, not feeling. But thinking isn't helping me now, and it's all I've got. So… numb.'

'Russel's Semblance,' Blake whispered, feeling her chest again. 'I felt his soul. It was like…peace.'

'Cardin said something like that,' Sky said. 'Russel used his Semblance on him, and Cardin said it felt like a moment of perfect stillness and balance. A moment of eternity.' He glanced at her. 'Will you stay and keep me company?'

Blake, who had been wondering how to ask permission to stay, nodded gratefully and curled up in her chair. In moments she was asleep, and she didn't wake for another hour, when a nurse came through to find her, scold her, and steer her back to bed with Sky's quiet laughter sounding in the background.

* * *

 **The next few chapters will be people dealing with the aftermath of the explosion. I do plan on expanding on why Nora's taking this so hard, before you all ask.**

 **The one thing I'm not sure on in this chapter is whether Blake would forgive Sky as easily as she did. She forgave Weiss, but Weiss' dislike of Faunus was a little more justified. I like to think that she'd realise people do make mistakes, but I still don't know. Let me know what you think.**


	28. Chapter 28

**I keep forgetting to write about Zwei (sigh). So let's just assume that last chapter he was among the luggage that JNPR was leaving in RWBY's room for them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight**

For a moment when Yang woke up the next day she just lay there, staring at the ceiling. She had twisted her sheets into a ball, stripped the case from her pillow, and kicked her blanket off the end of the bed. Her pyjamas were sticking to her skin, and her hair felt damp against the nape of her neck.

She rolled over onto her side and checked on Ruby in a habit so deeply ingrained that it was more personality than behaviour. Then she glanced down at Weiss. Both of them were dead to the world.

Moving more stealthily than people would give her credit for, Yang lowered herself to the ground, gathered her clothes, and dressed, her back to Blake's empty bed. Zwei, curled up on the rug, sat up and tilted his head at her. She pressed a finger to her lips. Zwei panted in canine agreement. Fully dressed, Yang slipped out of the room, let the door ease closed behind her and Zwei, and turned.

She almost died. Dove was standing right behind her, his arms crossed, eyeing her.

'What is _wrong_ with you?' Yang gasped when her heart started beating again.

Dove broke into a grin and knelt to pet Zwei. 'Sorry. I couldn't resist. What are you doing up this early?'

Yang crossed her arms. 'What are _you_ doing up this early?'

'I slept on a bunch of chairs all night. It was not comfortable.' He tilted his head. 'I came to have a shower and get changed, then I was going to bring breakfast to the others, if you want to lend a hand?'

'Fine,' Yang shrugged. She tried to make her voice sound casual, but she didn't think Dove was fooled. For one thing, he didn't say a word when she collected enough eating utensils for four.

The dining hall was surprisingly full of people, considering the sun was only barely over the horizon. 'Who are all these people?' Dove muttered as they joined the queue for food.

'Hunters,' Yang said in a low voice. 'I think Professor Ozpin recalled people when he heard about the bomb. They came in last night and they're going out to Mountain Glenn tonight.'

'Why, so they can get blown up too?'

'Just the opposite. After Goodwitch blocked the breach, they thought Mountain Glenn wasn't a priority. What sort of idiots would go back to a lair people knew about, y'know? So they thought trainees were enough security.' Yang's teeth ground together before she forced herself to relax. 'They were wrong, obviously.'

'Apparently Sky saw Blake last night,' Dove said. 'She got bored and wandered out of her room.' He glanced at Yang. 'You're going to visit her, right?'

'Of course!' Yang snapped, drawing the attention of a few Hunters. She ignored them, glaring at Dove. 'But visiting hours don't start until nine. So until then, I'm helping you.'

'Lucky me,' Dove said with a grin. He glanced around, and added in a low voice, 'We need to talk about that bomb, though, Yang.'

'Later,' Yang said in the same tone.

They loaded up their trays with cereal, toast and fruit for four people. Yang was adding a fourth carton of milk to her load when an amused voice from behind her almost made her drop the tray.

'Got enough there?'

'Hi Sun,' Yang said, turning. What was it with people sneaking up behind her? It was like being at home all over again. 'What are you doing here?'

'I was going to get breakfast, but you might have taken it all,' Sun said, looking at their trays. 'Why do you have so much?'

Yang's stomach disappeared like magic. 'Oh _shit_ ,' she breathed, her eyes widening as she stared at Sun.

Dove glanced from Sun to Yang. 'Hey, aren't you Blake's...oh.' His mouth fell open. 'Uh… Yang, how up to date is this guy?'

'Not. Not at all,' Yang said helplessly. 'We totally forgot.'

'Ok, well, let's not do this right here and now,' Dove said, becoming business-like. 'Sun, yeah? Want to give the pretty lady a hand?'

'Is he allowed to call you pretty?' Sun asked Yang, taking some of the items off the tray. 'Where are we going, anyway?'

'It's fine, he's joking,' Yang said briefly, her mind on other things. 'Uh, we're going to the infirmary…' She paused, trying to think of how best to phrase it.

'You know Russel Thrush, right?' Dove asked smoothly. 'He's on my team, he got injured, so we're kind of camping out for the moment.'

'He's alright, isn't he?' Sun asked with mild concern.

'It's Aura depletion,' Dove said.

'Well, that's not so bad, is it?' Sun paused. 'Is it?'

'It's pretty serious,' Dove said. 'But, you know, he hasn't died yet.'

'Well, that's good?' Sun looked at them. 'You guys look really, really weird.'

Dove and Yang were saved from responding: they had entered the infirmary. 'So it's left here,' Dove said, choosing not to respond to Sun. 'Uh, Sun, I don't think you met us at the dance, did you? So I'm Dove Bronzewing, this is Cardin Winchester, and that's Sky Lark. This is Sun. He's been hanging out with Blake and her team,' Dove added, staring meaningfully at his teammates.

Cardin winced. 'Are you here to–' Dove elbowed him.

Sun crossed his arms. _'Ok._ Yang, what's going on?'

'Look, the first thing you have to know is that Blake is _totally_ fine,' Yang said.

Sun's arms dropped. 'Wait, why would she not be fine?'

'She's in the hospital FOR OBSERVATION!' Yang yelled as Sun's mouth dropped open.

'What _happened_?!' he yelled.

'This is a mess,' Sky mumbled, helping himself to cereal.

'Not helping!' Yang snapped. 'We were at Mountain Glenn, Sun.'

'Yeah, you told us when you left after the breach,' Sun said. 'But what happened to Blake?'

'There was a small explosion and she was caught up in it,' Dove said, taking over. Yang glanced at him, but didn't speak up. 'She got a little hurt, but Russel healed her. So he's in for Aura depletion and she's just in to make sure there aren't any aftereffects.'

Sun took several deep breaths. 'He got Aura depletion from healing her from a "little explosion"?'

'Relatively little,' Dove amended.

'Compared to _what_?'

Dove groaned. 'The Big Bang? I don't know, man, what do you want me to say? She's fine now, and if you're going to freak out about it, there's not much I can do to help you! Kind of got stuff to worry about ourselves, here!'

Sun blushed. 'Right. Right. Sorry. Uh, Yang, where's Blake's room?'

'Down the hall and take the second right,' Yang said. 'She's in 220.'

Sun hesitated. 'Aren't you going to come?'

Yang smiled. 'Nah, you two go ahead. It'll be cute.'

Sun blushed again. 'Thanks.'

'So… you guys forgot to tell Blake's boyfriend she got blown up?' Sky said after Sun had disappeared from earshot. His lips twitched.

'He's not her boyfriend,' Yang said defensively. 'It's been, like, three dates.' Admittedly one of those had gone for two days, and the second had involved fighting a giant mecha… Actually, maybe they were official by this point. At least, maybe they should be.

'We haven't heard anything more on Russel,' Cardin said, breaking into her train of thought. 'All the nurses will say is that he's stable but critical.'

'Stable's good, right?' Yang said.

'Critical is less so.' Cardin rubbed his eyes. He looked terrible.

'You need to get some rest,' Yang said. She blushed as she realised she had defaulted to the tone she used when Ruby was being stubborn, but Cardin didn't seem to notice.

'I know.' He looked up, his eyes sharpening as he remembered. 'And you need to tell us about the bomb.'

Yang kept her face completely straight. 'What about it?'

'Why did it have Blake's name on it?' Cardin snapped. 'Why was it left for her?'

'We worked out that the people who snuck in to plant it did so through one of the open tunnels,' Sky said, his voice quiet. 'I sensed enough of those things down there to let an army in. But whoever planted it got past all twelve of us, Team CFVY, _and_ your dog.' Zwei barked happily. Sky ignored him. 'They could have left a dozen bombs. Why did they only target Blake when they could have brought the building down on top of us?'

'I don't know,' Yang said honestly.

'It was because they wanted to target Blake specifically,' Cardin said, crossing his arms. 'What aren't you telling us?'

'I don't know,' Yang repeated. 'I think – look, I think we need to get all the teams together to talk about this. We need to pool our resources and information and find out what we know. So – we'll talk about it, I promise. But – not now.'

'Talk about what?' Goodwitch asked, striding into the room.

'Cardin wants to date my sister and Yang said she'd give him advice on how to go about it,' Dove said instantly.

'And all the teams will help you with that?' Goodwitch asked, raising her eyebrow at Dove.

Dove put on his most innocent look. 'Well, Cardin is kind of a moron when it comes to girls. So he does need as much help as he can get.'

Goodwitch stared at Dove, then turned to look at Cardin, whose face was as red as it was possible to get. 'Quite,' she said eventually. 'And what are you doing here, Miss Xiao Long?'

'I want to know how Russel is,' Yang said, standing her ground.

To her surprise, Goodwitch's face relaxed. 'He'll be fine,' she said, almost smiling. 'His Aura has started to redevelop. We can take him off the life support in a matter of hours.'

'He was on _life support_?' Cardin yelled.

'No wonder the nurses wouldn't tell you guys anything,' Yang mumbled.

'Quite,' Goodwitch repeated. 'Yes, Mr Winchester, he was. I cannot stress how much danger Mr Thrush was in. His use of his Semblance to save Miss Belladonna was quite heroic, but he did very nearly die. The fact that he didn't reveal a Semblance such as his to the school is something I plan to address with Mr Thrush at great length, but that can wait for another day.' Yang took a moment to feel sorry for Russel, but there wasn't much space for sympathy beside her joy.

'But he'll be fine,' Sky said anxiously.

'He will.' Goodwitch slid her glasses back up her nose. 'Now, I'm going to have to insist that you boys return to your room. Mr Thrush won't be available for visitors for several hours. I suggest that you use that time to get some proper rest. You can come back at midday.'

Their shoulders slumping from relief and fatigue, Cardin, Sky and Dove all nodded agreement. Yang hesitated. 'Uh, can I see Blake?'

Goodwitch gave her a cold look. 'I appreciate you asking permission, Miss Xiao Long. The student from Mistral that I just removed from Miss Belladonna's room seemed to have skipped that necessary step.'

'So… can I?' Yang asked.

'You may. He,' she said, pointing at Zwei, 'May not. Dogs are not allowed in the hospital, Miss Xiao Long. Nor are they allowed in the school.'

'Ah, can we see Blake too?' Dove asked suddenly as Yang pushed Zwei behind her with one foot.

Yang turned and glared at him, channelling her inner Blake. 'You can see her _later._ '

Dove grinned. 'What, do you want your own romantic reintroduction too?'

Cardin grabbed Dove by the scruff of the neck. 'So _funny_ ,' he growled, physically hauling Dove out of the room. 'Such a _joker_ …'

Yang offered Goodwitch a weak grin. Goodwitch stared at her impassively. 'Miss Belladonna has one more check-up, and then she'll be released.'

'Great!' Yang said sunnily.

* * *

Blake's door was half-closed, but Yang didn't bother knocking. 'Helloooo!' she called, barging in. There was a scuffle of movement and Yang caught a glimpse of a long yellow tail disappearing out the window. Zwei sprinted over and began to bark out the window. Blake groaned.

'Did you have to bring him?'

'He wanted to come,' Yang said. 'You're family.'

Sun recognised her voice and swung back into the room.

'I thought Goodwitch kicked you out,' Yang said, crossing to the bed and wrapping Blake in a hug before the Faunus could protest.

'Well, yeah, but I mean, I climbed up to your room with Neptune in tow. You really think I can't make it to this one?' Sun asked. He pointed at Blake. 'I'm , uh, not sure she can breathe…'

Yang released Blake and plumped herself down on the edge of the mattress. 'I am so glad you're ok!' she said to her partner.

'I told you last night I was fine,' Blake said. She looked tired and drawn. Sun was regarding her with some concern.

'Yeah, but that's what you said when you were literally falling asleep in class.' Yang stretched back and laid her arm across Blake's shoulders. 'This time, though, you're actually ok. The doctors said so. Man, you're cold!' She pulled Blake's head on to her shoulder and wrapped her other arm around her.

'This place's air-conditioning is pretty high,' Blake agreed, yawning.

'Ruby and Weiss are still asleep,' Yang said. 'They looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake them. And Zwei was sleeping on the rug all night. I forgot how cute he is when he curls up with his nose under his paws.' Hearing his name, Zwei jumped onto the bed. Blake flinched, but all Zwei did was curl up and settle in for another nap. 'He has little puppy dreams, too, when he's really deep asleep… Ruby moves in her sleep, but Weiss sleeps too soundly. I think I talk in my sleep… You sleep really still, don't you, you don't move…You just sort of lie there with your hands under your cheek and your pillow turned sideways...'

Her voice had been dropping lower and lower, becoming more and more soothing. Blake's eyelids had fluttered, dropped, reopened, then dropped again. Now, curled up against Yang, her head pillowed on Yang's shoulder, she slept.

Yang looked up to find Sun staring at her, his mouth wide open. 'How did you _do_ that?' he mouthed.

Yang grinned. 'Little sister,' she mouthed back.

Sun looked down at the floor, then back up at Yang. 'She said something about bad dreams,' he whispered. 'Yang, was she really hurt?'

She wanted to lie to him again, but he deserved to know the truth. 'Her heart stopped,' Yang breathed back.

Sun shuddered. 'She's fine,' he muttered to himself. 'She's fine. She's fine.' He opened his eyes and looked at Yang. 'What _happened_?'

Moving slowly, carefully, so as not to wake Blake, Yang raised her lip to bare one of her canine teeth at Sun.

Under his tan, Sun's face went pale.

* * *

They stayed that way for an hour. By the end Yang's arm was very deeply asleep, but so was Blake. It was entirely worth it. When the doctor came in to administer the final check-up, she actually stopped to coo silently for a moment.

Then she saw Zwei on the bed and it all went to hell.

Half a nerve-racking hour later, Yang, Blake and Sun walked out of the infirmary. After the doctor had finished yelling at Yang, Sun had volunteered to go and get Blake some clothes, and to drop Zwei off in the dormitory. Yang had wanted to tell him to use the door this time, but she hadn't liked to say so in front of the doctor. She supposed it was Sun's own fault if he made the wrong choice, but she still felt like him getting frozen in a block of ice because Weiss woke up to find going through Blake's drawers was poor reward.

Neptune was hanging around the dormitories looking for Sun – or so he claimed. Weiss was laughing at one of his jokes and Ruby was standing there looking bored when the other three approached them.

'You're ok!' Ruby yelled, flinging her arms around Blake.

'It's good to see you out of the hospital,' Weiss agreed, abandoning Neptune for the moment.

'These guys told me what happened,' Neptune said, following Weiss up to Blake. 'I'm glad you're ok.'

Sun shot Yang a dirty look, which she carefully didn't see.

'Thanks,' Blake said shyly. 'I just want to get some sleep in my own bed.'

They made their way up to the dormitory, but where Weiss would have shut the door on Sun and Neptune, Yang held her hand out to stop her. 'Your sleep might need to wait, Blake. They should hear this. I have something I need to talk to you about. All of you.'

As quickly and succinctly as she could, she laid out her conversation with CRDL.

'We can't tell them the truth,' Blake said immediately.

'I don't think we can afford not to,' Weiss said. 'People are going to get hurt if we don't. People have already gotten hurt.'

'I knew the risks of what I was doing!' Blake yelled fiercely.

'A bomb doesn't work selectively, Blake,' Ruby said gently.

'It had my name on it! I was the only one who got hurt!'

'Then why did Russel just spend the past twelve hours on life support?' Yang asked, her voice far harder than she intended it to be. Blake flinched as if she had been struck.

There was a moment of silence.

'They already know something is up,' Yang said finally. 'They saw the bomb, they know you were targeted. They know you're a Faunus. I think Sky is smart enough to make the connection, and Russel and Dove can obviously spot a secret. They're going to work it out.'

'It's not those three I'm worried about!' Blake said.

Weiss folded her hands. 'Cardin is – a complicated person,' she said slowly. 'But I think that he respects his team enough to listen to their advice, and I _think_ that he wants to be…somebody other than who he currently is.' She frowned down at her hands. 'The White Fang attacked you and in doing so they hurt his partner. He'll be angry, but I think we can get through to him.'

'I'd trust Dove,' Ruby said. 'He's a good guy, he's just a bit of an idiot sometimes.'

'Russel didn't tell anybody you were a Faunus,' Yang said. 'He can definitely keep his mouth shut.'

There was silence for a long minute, as Blake's eyes became distant. 'When I did the project with Sky, he was trying to be friendly,' Blake said finally. 'I wouldn't let him, but part of me was thinking that I was making a mistake. And then last night he was trying to comfort me.' She frowned. 'Alright. We'll tell them.'

'You should tell Jaune's team first,' Neptune said.

'What, you think _Jaune_ can talk them around if we're wrong?' Weiss asked, rolling her eyes.

'No, I just think you should outnumber them,' Neptune said with a grin.

'I can tell them,' Ruby said.

'No. It's my responsibility.' Blake stood. 'I'll tell them.'

* * *

Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren filed into RWBY's dorm room, looking confused, but not suspicious. After they had greeted Blake – and Nora had been pried off her – they seated themselves and looked at Ruby expectantly.

'You all know that I'm a Faunus,' Blake began. 'I told you that I was raised outside the Kingdom, so I never went to a combat school. I didn't lie to you, but – I didn't tell you everything.' She raised her eyes and looked them in the face. 'The truth is, I was a member of the White Fang.'

Jaune's mouth dropped open, Pyrrha pressed a hand to her lips, and Ren's eyes widened. Nora sat bolt upright. Before they could say anything, Blake hurried on, 'I left, though! I left! I was a member since I was a child, but when I realised how dark and how – how violent it had become, I _left_. I don't support the Fang. I want equality, but they're going about it the wrong way. I _left_.' She stopped, breathing quickly, her eyes flickering from face to face.

JNPR exchanged glances. 'This is – it explains a lot,' Jaune said finally. 'I guess – the bomb was from your old buddies?'

Despite herself, a tear rolled down Blake's cheek. 'They _were_ my family,' she said, holding her voice steady. 'I genuinely thought we were making the world a better place. You have no idea how much it hurt, to realise I was wrong.'

'You did realise,' Ren said. 'That's good enough for me.'

'The Fang has done some horrible things,' Pyrrha said. 'I can understand why but I don't support them… and neither do you, clearly.'

'You're a Huntress,' Nora said, as if that was enough.

'I've been thinking about right and wrong a lot lately,' Jaune said, staring at his hands. 'I guess – people would say that the right thing to do would be to report you.'

'What?' Ruby yelled.

'Hear me out!' Jaune said hastily. 'According to the law, that'd be the right thing to do. But – what would it achieve? You wouldn't be able to help anyone. You wouldn't be able to hurt anyone either, but you're not doing that now. I think that the right thing, the really right thing to do, is to let you make up for what you did.' He looked up. 'I'm not going to report you. I don't think that'd be right. I think people deserve second chances.'

Ruby sat down, deeply relieved. 'Well, that was the easy part out of the way.'

'The easy part?' Jaune repeated.

'Yeah.' Yang grimaced. 'Now we need to tell CRDL.'

'Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?' Jaune asked, his eyes widening.

'If we don't tell them they'll just work it out on their own,' Weiss said.

'Yeah, but I mean, they wouldn't be able to prove it or anything!' Jaune said.

'That's not really the point,' Weiss began.

'They deserve to know,' Blake said, cutting over them both. 'One of their team members is in hospital because of me. I can't take the risk that it'll happen again. at least if I tell them they'll know what they're fighting against.'

'We're concerned that they'll decide that _you're_ what they're fighting against,' Pyrrha told her.

'How would you feel if it was Jaune in the hospital?' Ruby asked.

'Pyrrha,' Nora said instantly.

They all turned to stare at her. 'Don't ask,' Ren began, but it was too late. 'What?' Yang said.

'Pyrrha. Pyrrha is JNPR's Russel.'

'...I don't think so,' Pyrrha said with commendable self-control.

'Cardin is the leader. Russel is his partner. You're Jaune's partner. You're JNPR's Russel.' Nora frowned. 'In terms of personality, too.'

'I do _not_ –' Pyrrha began heatedly.

'We're getting off-topic,' Ruby said hastily. 'We have to tell them, Jaune. That's all there is to it.'

* * *

 **I like to think that's how JNPR would react. Again, tell me what you think.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Cardin woke up from a dream in which Serena Bronzewing was feeding him grapes with a huge amount of reluctance.

For a moment, he didn't know what had woken him. Then, overhead, he heard the clash of metal on metal again. Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc. Couldn't they just make out like a normal couple? Who flirted with weapons? Trainee Hunters, that's who. He groaned and buried his head under his pillow, but it was too late; he was awake.

He rolled over and sat up. He typically slept shirtless, and right now he was glad. The sun shining in the window made the room far hotter than it was at night. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked around. Sky was somehow sleeping through the racket on the roof, but Dove was sitting on his bed, flipping the pages of a comic.

'Woke you up?' he asked, jerking his head upwards.

Cardin shook his head. 'Who practices swordplay at this time of night?'

'It's almost midday, man,' Dove said dryly. 'I was about to wake you.'

Cardin groaned and rubbed his eyes harder, hoping to simulate bloodflow to his brain. Sleeping in the day always made him wake up disoriented and fuzzy. 'I'm going to have a shower.'

Despite his words, he didn't move. Dove glanced at him. 'Still asleep?'

'Thinking about Russel,' Cardin said bleakly.

'What about him?' Dove asked flippantly.

'Coming to this stupid school was the worst thing that could've happened to me,' Cardin mumbled. 'Stupid empathy…'

Dove actually put his comic down. 'What, you're _empathising_? With Russel? Are you feeling ok?'

'I just keep thinking about his girlfriend,' Cardin confessed. 'I mean, his parents, fine, Hunters who died when he was a literal baby, and a thousand kilometres away. His grandmother, old age, fine, he was four. But his girlfriend? Right in front of him? With his Semblance?' He shook his head.

'It would have been far too late,' Dove said. 'There's nothing he could have done. By the time he dealt with the Ursa, she'd have been gone.'

'How much do you want to bet that Russel still tried, though?' Cardin asked darkly.

'Russel is tougher than you think,' Dove said.

'I know how tough he is. The answer is not as much as he pretends.' Cardin rose and began pacing. 'You know, when he told me, I didn't believe him for a bit? I honestly didn't. I thought, there are easier ways of killing yourself, plus hunters who kill themselves usually use their own weapons.'

'Sky was telling me about that once. Some psychologist said that we get into a headspace where our weapon is the only thing they associate with death,' Dove said thoughtfully. 'Like our Aura makes us indestructible, but our weapons destroy everything we face, so when we want to destroy ourselves, we use them.'

Cardin shook his head impatiently. 'Yeah, I know. But you get what I mean? I thought that there had to be an easier way of doing it. Why wait until a Grimm attack?' He glanced out the window. 'But then again… I guess maybe there aren't easier ways, when your boyfriend is a healer. You need the Ursa to keep him busy so you can die.' He shook his head again, as if to chase off a fly. 'It feels like I've been kicked in the gut every time I think about it, and I'm the emotional equivalent of a log. Russ actually feels stuff. It's a miracle _he_ never offed himself.'

'I'm guessing you didn't point this out to Russel,' Dove said cautiously.

'Since I'm still alive, no. I clearly didn't.'

Dove glanced down at his page, then looked up again, cautiously this time. 'You know, if Russel wanted to off himself, all he'd have to do is ignore the second part of his Semblance, right?'

Cardin barked a laugh. 'You picked that too, huh?' He shook his head. 'Can't believe he thinks he can still lie to us…'

'He's got a will to live, man,' Dove insisted. 'You can relax, he's not going anywhere.'

Cardin snorted. 'The only way Russel will choose to kill himself is if he decides it's a better punishment than living. He's a moody, mopey bastard who thinks everything that happens is his responsibility and his fault. The problem is, if you look at it sideways, he's right.'

'The fuck, Cardin?' Dove barked, heedless of Sky, who simply rolled over and pulled his blanket over his head. 'The fuck is wrong with you?'

'Shut up and listen,' Cardin ordered. 'You aren't understanding me. I'm not getting what Russel felt, I'm getting what _Violet_ felt. How helpless she must have felt. She wanted to kill herself and she couldn't even do that.' He looked out the window. 'And if _I_ can realise that, how much worse must it be for Russel? I mean, if she had used pills, it would have been awful, but he would have had the comfort of knowing it had been painless. What does he feel, knowing he's the reason his girlfriend had to get mauled by a Grimm? Just to die?'

Dove's mouth dropped open. 'That is _not_ Russel's fault.'

'That's why I said you had to look at this sideways,' Cardin said impatiently.

Dove stared at his comic. Neither of them noticed, overhead, that the clashing swords had stopped.

'He's wrong,' Dove said finally. 'He's wrong if he thinks that.'

'I don't think he does, as much, anymore,' Cardin admitted. 'I think – I think we all gave him perspective. He said something to me, there's no sliding scale of shitty stuff, that it all feels pretty bad when it's happening. That's not really true, though. He can lie almost as well as you can, but Russel's too smart to buy his own lies. What happened to him was a lot worse than what happened to me, but I think that talking to me about it made him get more objective.' He rubbed his eyes. 'I hope so. I'm going to have a shower. Tell Sky we're leaving for the infirmary when I get back.'

He set the shower to barely below boiling, and stayed in there for far longer than he intended. When his skin was crimson, he wrapped a towel around his waist, stepped out, and came to a complete stop. Jaune and Pyrrha were waiting patiently outside the showers, and they had straightened expectantly when they saw him.

'Hel–' Pyrrha began chirpily before her eyes strayed from Cardin's and down over his chest. She stopped dead, went bright red, and glanced away.

Cardin crossed his arms so that his pecs bulged, just to be a dick. 'Help you?'

'Uh, we were wondering if Russel was alright,' Jaune said. He too was determinedly staring at Cardin's face. Jaune was no weakling – not any more, Cardin mused – but few people could build muscle like Cardin could.

'He's fine.' Cardin raised an eyebrow. 'Yang didn't tell you?'

'Yeah, she mentioned something, but we were actually wondering when he was meant to wake up,' Jaune persisted.

Cardin frowned. 'Goodwitch said his Aura was regrowing, so he should wake up in the next day or so.'

'Are you guys going to wait in the infirmary until then?'Jaune persisted.

'Yes! What do you want?' Cardin snapped.

'We want to come and wait with you,' Pyrrha said.

Cardin's arms dropped. 'You do?'

'Well, yeah,' Jaune said.

'Why?' Cardin asked. He knew his tone was too blunt, but he was too surprised to care.

'Russel is – not as unkind as he pretends to be,' Pyrrha said.

Despite himself, Cardin grinned fondly. 'Don't tell him that. He'll deny it.'

'She did. And he did,' Jaune said, also smiling.

'He's a friend. We want to be there when he wakes,' Pyrrha said.

'He might not wake up for days still.'

'Regardless,' Pyrrha said firmly.

Cardin shrugged. 'Ok, fine. I just need to get dressed, then we were going to go over there.'

'Great! I'll go grab Nora and Ren!' Jaune said.

'I'll locate team RWBY!' Pyrrha chirped.

'Wait, what?' Cardin began.

It was too late. They had already disappeared.

For several moments, Cardin didn't move. Then he slowly walked to his dorm room, opened the door, and looked in. 'So RWBY and JNPR are coming with us.' He shrugged at Dove. 'Apparently we're friends now.'

* * *

It had taken a lot of hinting and meaningful looks, but Ruby had finally managed to get Weiss and Blake to leave. Yang didn't seem to notice as they made their flimsy excuses and left the dorm room, but she noticed when Ruby rolled onto her side and looked at her. 'Hey, Yang?'

Yang looked up. She had been lying on her stomach, her chin on her hands, looking out the window. Now she turned to look at Ruby. 'What's up, sis?'

Ruby bit her lip. 'Are you in love with Russel?'

Yang rolled onto her side and gave Ruby her undivided attention. 'What are you talking about?'

'You and Russel.' Ruby was bright red. 'Do you – are you in love with him?'

'Ruby, why are you asking me that?' Yang asked.

Ruby wouldn't meet Yang's eyes. 'I just want to know.'

' _Why_?' Yang demanded, her eyes flashing red.

'Because I want to know!' Ruby yelled. 'Just tell me!'

Yang opened her mouth, then paused. Her sister's luminous eyes seemed shinier than usual. 'Ruby, what's wrong?' she asked.

'Nothing!' Ruby dashed a hand across her eyes. 'It was a stupid question. Forget it.'

Yang sat up, set her feet, and leapt across to Ruby's bed, something she'd wanted to try ever since they remodelled the dorm room. The bed lurched and swung alarmingly, and the ropes suspending it let out a huge shriek of protest, but Yang scrabbled aboard and quickly smoothed her shirt. 'Hem. Come on, Rubes, talk to me. What's going on?'

Ruby fiddled with her blanket. 'I just want to know if you love Russel.'

Yang crossed her arms. 'How about I answer your question and you have to answer mine?'

Ruby shrugged, not meeting her sister's eyes.

'Ok,' Yang said slowly. 'The answer is – I don't know.'

'How can you not know?' Ruby asked resentfully.

Yang shrugged. 'I barely know Russel, Ruby. I mean, I don't know anything about him – because apparently his background is classified like it's got a buncha dead spies in it or something –' she mumbled to herself ' – and we haven't really hung out. But at the same time…' She thought back to him, slumping towards the ground, covered in blood and as pale as the snow and she shuddered. 'I care about what happens to him. I want to spend more time with him. I don't know if that's love. I've never felt it before.' So corny, to say she had never felt like this before – but she hadn't. Still, she suspected that would be counter-productive: in her current prickly mood, Ruby was sure to take it as an insult.

She glanced at her sister. 'Alright, your turn. What's eating you?'

'I don't wanna have to share you!' Ruby burst out. 'I know it's selfish, and I know it's really immature, but you're my sister!' Yang stared at Ruby as her little sister continued, her voice getting faster and more incoherent. 'And I know that's a terrible thing to say, because Russel doesn't even have any family and his girlfriend died and he's got like the saddest back story ever but you're my sister and I don't want to lose you to him, and if you two start dating you'll stop spending time with me and…and…'

'Oh, Ruby,' Yang sighed, wrapping her in a hug. 'We were all going to start dating sooner or later. You knew that.'

'Yeah, but you never did,' Ruby whined. 'All the boys in Patch were totally in love with you and you never even talked about them, but I saw you, Yang, you kept looking at Russel when you thought nobody was looking and I know you were upset when he got hurt!'

'I would be upset if anyone got hurt, Ruby. I've spent time with other people before. I spent time with my friends and you didn't mind. If I get a boyfriend, it'll be like that. And the boys in Patch were immature jerks who were too afraid of Dad to be interesting.' Yang scowled. Her father could chase away suitors by breathing.

'But you love him.'

Suddenly Yang saw what Ruby was getting at. _Oh, Ruby. This really hasn't happened to you before, has it? The hazards of being a younger child, I guess._ 'Ruby, nothing is going to change. You know that, right? We're still stuck together for the next three years, at least. If we stop spending as much time together after graduation – that would've happened anyway, and it's something we'll deal with if it does. You're never going to lose me, though, Ruby. I'll always be here for you.'

'You can't promise that!' Ruby yelled.

'Yes, I can,' Yang said firmly. 'You're my sister, Ruby, and I love you, and even if we're not together–' They both knew what she was skirting around when she said that – 'I will always be a part of you. Whether you like it or not. Come on, admit it, don't you want to make stupid puns sometimes?'

'Sometimes,' Ruby said grudgingly.

'And sometimes I'll be walking past an armoury shop and desperately want to know how they customised a fire sword to hold a multi-chambered shotgun in the barrel.' She tightened her hold on Ruby. "Sister" probably wasn't enough to describe their relationship, but "mother" was taken by a dead woman, so the daughters of Taiyang Xiao Long had to settle for an incomplete phrase.'You don't get rid of me that easy, Rubes. We're stuck with each other.' She kissed her sister on the top of the head. 'I love you, and I always will. And there's no limit on how many people a person can love. If you find someone new in your heart, it doesn't mean you had to get rid of someone else to fit them in.'

'So you do love Russel!' Ruby crowed.

'I didn't say that!' Yang protested. _Though – I guess maybe… I did._


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

I come awake slowly, waves of blackness lapping back and forth. At low tide, my eyes slide open. Each time there's a different scene.

I'm in a silver box. Blurs of colour move above me and somebody is talking. They say my name. I try to respond, but all that comes out is a faint groan. Something is pressing against my temples, and it feel s like ice. I can't raise my arms to dislodge it; they're like lead.

I'm in a room made dark by nightfall. Goodwitch is sitting in a chair beside my bed. I blink and it's now daylight, and my head feel far less thick. Cardin has replaced Goodwitch. He sees my eyes move and sits bolt upright.

'He's awake!'

Something moves in the corner of my eye and I flinch away, but it's only Sky and Dove. They're seated on my other side. Ruby, Weiss and Jaune are perched behind them on the room's second bed; Yang and Nora are sitting on the windowsill, and Pyrrha and Ren are leaning against the wall. Everyone looks settled, like they've been there for a while. The pressure on my face is still present, but this time I recognise it as an oxygen mask.

'Hmmheh?' I mumble. My head feels fuzzy and my body is stiff and sore. My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth, and even when I un-pry it, it flops around uselessly

'Don't try to move,' Cardin says anxiously.

'Belk?' I manage, shards of memory returning.

'Blake is fine,' Dove says soothingly. 'She's totally fine.'

'Hinnfirmy?' I ask, trying to look around. That makes my head spin, so I stop.

'Stay _still_ ,' Cardin insisted. 'You've been asleep for three days.'

God, a three-day coma? No wonder everyone looks like they've been here a while. The sound of brisks footsteps sounds and Goodwitch enters the room, trailed by Blake. Blake looks totally untouched, I'm glad to see. 'Good morning, Mr Thrush,' Goodwitch says in that crisp voice of hers. She detaches the oxygen mask and lays it aside. 'I see you're finally with us for good.'

'For good?' I croak. I shiver slightly. How are they not freezing? The girls wear barely anything – not that I'm complaining, of course.

'You've been lapsing in and out of consciousness for the past few hours.' She moves over to examine the wall display. 'You still have a fever. How do you feel?'

'I'm fine,' I mumble. She just looks at me over the top of her glasses.

'You are not fine, Mr Thrush.' She pauses to shake her head at me. 'You depleted your Aura quite severely. You were very near death. There is a _reason_ we use scrolls to monitor you in combat. Aura depletion has killed as many Hunters as Grimm, if not more. You are incredibly lucky to be alive.'

I do _not_ need a lecture right now. She sees my face and gives up. 'Can you sit up?' My entire body feels stiff and weak, but I manage to swing my legs up and out of bed. Goodwitch watches my scroll as I do so. I'm not bandaged, but every single muscle in my body aches.

'How bad?' I ask. My voice scares me: it sounds thin and strained. I clear my throat, and Dove quickly holds up a glass of water with a straw in it. I go to take it, but Dove still has to hold it for me as I drink. He can see how weak I am.

Goodwitch purses her lips. I always have the feeling she doesn't much like students, but she looks me in the eye and answers me straight. 'You strained your body to a very serious extent. You will feel weak and exhausted for the next week at least, much as you do now. Your immune system has been compromised as well, so you'll doubtless get sick. Come to the infirmary the moment you do. With your immune system this feeble even the slightest cold can prove fatal if you ignore it. You'll also need to work on rebuilding your stamina and health – but that can wait until your Aura has rebuilt itself completely.'

'Ok.'

'You will recover, but you need to rest, drink lots of fluids and not strain yourself.'

'Would it be better if he stayed with someone?' Cardin asks anxiously. 'He can stay at my house–'

'By the time it's safe for Mr Thrush to leave the infirmary he will be strong enough to attend classes,' Godowitch says. 'Obviously he won't be training for quite a while, but academics won't hurt him in the slightest.'

I go to nod, but find my head dipping lower and lower, and before I know it I'm toppling slowly to the ground. Sky lunges forward to catch me.

'Thanks, man,' I mumble into his shoulder. His armour is cold.

He helps me lean back and I pull my legs into bed, then Goodwitch Semblances the covers up to my neck. 'The fever should go away in a day or so,' she says with sympathy. 'I don't think you need the oxygen any more, but someone will monitor your scroll to make sure.'

I start to nod, then catch sight of the IV hanging above my bed. 'Is that _blood_?'

'It's sap, Mr Thrush,' Goodwitch says tartly. 'A sap derivative, to be precise. Professor Peach refined and reverse-engineered the relevant enzyme from the sap you students collected in the Forest of Forever Fall some months ago. It's working to regenerate your Aura.'

I roll my eyes despite myself. That's not a memory I really wanted brought up at the moment. Cardin has flushed as red as the sap, but I don't look at him. 'It _looks_ like blood.'

'Mr Thrush, it is not blood–'

'Am I a _guinea pig_?' I ask indignantly. It's definitely the fever talking, because Goodwitch is giving me the sort of look that would normally have me sauntering off in the other direction as quickly as possible.

'Yes,' she says flatly.

'Well ok then.' I can't remember where I was going with this. Plus, how do you argue when the other person agrees with you?

'Your blood will taste _delicious_ , Russel,' Nora says with unholy enthusiasm.

There's a stunned silence, then we all burst out laughing. Even Goodwitch manages a smile. 'Miss Valkyrie, please do not try and drink Mr Thrush's blood. He needs that.'

'I won't,' Nora says. 'But it'd go great with panca–'

Lie Ren claps a hand over her mouth. 'She's – tired,' he says lamely.

'I doubt that's possible,' Goodwitch says, and walks out, content with having the final word.

There's a bit of silence when she leaves. My eyelids are heavy but I manage to prop them open halfway. 'So what's happening?' I croak finally.

'I set the infirmary on fire,' Yang says cheerfully.

I roll an eye to look at her. 'I'm compelled to ask why.'

'Apparently they have a teams-only rule, when it comes to people in the wards,' Sky says.

'She didn't actually mean to,' Pyrrha adds.

'And we all learned a valuable lesson in how flammable that alcoholic hand soap is,' Dove finishes.

'And yet you're all here,' I say. I don't really know how to feel about that, actually.

'Ozpin showed up and stopped Goodwitch throwing her through the roof,' Cardin says. 'And then he made the doctors let all of us in.'

'It was only one reception desk,' Yang mumbles.

'And then half the room, when Weiss put the fire out,' Jaune says.

'I wanted to get it all!' Weiss protested. 'Fires in a hospital are dangerous!'

'So are glaciers,' Ren says.

Conversation trails off. Nobody seems quite sure what to say.

'Sooo…' It's really not fair to make the guy who just woke up from the three-day coma generate all the small talk, but whatever. 'What else is new?'

'I finally customised Alouette,' Sky says.

I roll my eyes. 'About damn time, man.'

'It was great,' Ruby says enthusiastically. 'Sky and me are going to go target-shooting.'

'Cute,' I try to say, but then I start coughing.

The smiles are wiped from their faces like magic. They all shift forwards nervously as Cardin lunges for my water and offers it to me. I choke some down, and it soothes the coughing, but all of them are still looking hideously worried.

'This is balls,' I croak, settling back.

'I need to thank you,' Blake says abruptly. 'You saved my life.'

'It's cool,' I say. Seeing her open her mouth to keep being grateful, I add hastily, 'Seriously, don't mention it. You'll only make the both of us uncomfortable.' She subsides, looking ruffled.

'So we all know Blake's a Faunus now, too,' Sky says to fill in the gap.

'How…' My eyes fall on Dove, who's looking incredibly guilty. 'Really, man? _Really_?'

'It just slipped out!' he protests. 'Plus, does it really matter anymore?'

That was the wrong thing to say. Everyone's eyes slide to Cardin, despite themselves. 'No,' Cardin says firmly. 'I apologised to Velvet,' he adds to me. 'I'm, uh, not perfect yet–' and how much did that cost you to say, I wonder, 'But I'm getting better.' He glances at me. 'I'm still angry you _knew_ and didn't tell me,' he says to me.

I roll my eyes. 'Dude, she has _ears_.' For some reason everyone grins at that. 'It was a bigger surprise to me that you _didn't_ realise.' And a deep, dark past, if I had to guess, but shit, who am I to judge?

'Hey, it's the thought that counts, right? A for effort!' Yang says cheerfully.

'Cool. Honestly, knowing Coco Adel is glaring at me through her sunglasses was a lot scarier than I'm willing to admit.' I sit bolt upright – or, I mean, I try. I sort of just manage to jerk my head up, and the only effect I really have is to make Cardin tense up again. 'Speaking of telling people stuff! Pyrrha! Semblance! Have you?'

'No,' she says, her face falling. 'I haven't. I thought it might be best to wait for you to wake first.'

'You're the _best_ , Pyrrha,' I beam. I have a feeling that she wasn't exactly saving it as a treat for me as much as she was putting it off, but I'll take what I can get.

She gives me a reluctant smile. 'Part of me still doesn't want to, but I can appreciate that you did earn the right to tell them.'

'Just remember – actual divinity,' I tell her. That makes her laugh, and Jaune shoots me an odd look of mingled irritation and regret.

Everyone is staring at me now. 'What are you on about?' Cardin asks.

I have the biggest shit-eating grin of my life on my face and I don't even care. 'Pyrrha Nikos' Semblance is magnetism.'

Cardin, Dove and Sky's faces make nearly dying worth it.

'It – bu – you –' Cardin sputters for several moments before finding his voice. ' _Magnetism?_ You have a Semblance of _magnetism_?'

'Well, I call it polarity, but–'

'But that's not even fair!' Dove says, his voice high-pitched and a look of genuine distress on his face.

'We kept fighting you in _armour_ ,' Sky says, his voice full of disgust and dismay. 'Fucking _armour_.'

'We could never have won! We literally could never have won!' Dove squeaks. 'You could have juggled us!'

'This is everything I ever dreamed it'd be,' I say happily to Pyrrha. She looks like she's hiding a smile now as my teammates struggle with what is probably the greatest disappointment of their lives. Team RWBY is smothering their laughter to be polite, and Nora is full-on chortling.

'How long have you _known_?!' Cardin exclaims, glaring at me.

'Three and a half days, counting the three-day coma,' I say. 'I worked it out like an hour before the bomb.' I start to laugh again. That's good for the soul, right?

'Fuck!' Cardin says. 'That's just – you just – you're evil, Pyrrha. You're full-on evil.' He trails off, muttering and shaking his head in disgust. 'Stop laughing, Russel.'

'You morons fought the girl with a Semblance of magnetism wearing full plate armour,' I snort. 'I'm _never_ going to stop laughing.'

'Actually, I never used my Semblance all that much in our bouts,' Pyrrha began.

'No!' Dove says, pointing a stern finger at her. 'Bad Pyrrha. You used your Semblance _all the time_ in our bouts. That's the _only_ reason we lost as badly as we did. Your _Semblance_.'

'This is why I didn't want anyone to know,' Pyrrha begins angrily.

'Chill out, he doesn't mean that,' I say. 'He's just salvaging his pride.' I snort again. 'What's left of it.'

The rush from my laughter fading, I yawn. My eyelids droop, and Jaune stands.

'We should let you get some rest.'

I don't want them to go, but I suppose I am falling asleep in front of them.

They file out, but Blake and Yang pause by the foot of my bed. 'Russel?' Blake says.

'Yeah?'

'You saved my life. Thank you.'

'Whatever,' I say with a crooked grin. 'Get ready for all the cat puns, though.'

'You can't be worse than Yang,' Blake says with a fond smile at her partner. 'If she calls me a sour puss one more time…'

'Is she pawsible she's overusing it?' I ask, straight-faced.

'Oh god, not again,' Lie Ren says, and he pushes past them into the hallway.

'Pussy!' I call after him.

'So really… thank you.' Blake smiles at me and leaves. Yang lingers, shoots me a smouldering look, and says in a tone that should come with warning signs, 'I'll be back when you feel better.'

'Yang is such a total babe,' I say as soon as the door closes.

'And you did just save her partner's life. You have so many points with her right now, it's not even funny,' Sky says.

I frown as I realise something I meant to ask them. 'Hey, have they told you guys anything about the bomb? Do we know what happened?'

They exchange glances. 'Let's – talk about that next time,' Cardin says. 'We will, honest. For now, you get some rest.'

I twist my mouth, but my eyelids are fighting a losing battle against gravity. I manage to turn to Cardin. 'Don't give Blake a hard time, man.'

'I wo – I'll try.'

He's honest, at least. I fall asleep feeling like I've achieved, maybe not much, but _something_.

* * *

By the end of the day I'm officially going mad. I've gotten into trouble twice for climbing out of bed and staggering over to the window, but I'm so bored I can't stop myself. Not only bored – restless. Every time I close my eyes, images of Blake, bleeding and broken, crowd into my mind.

I'm slumped back in bed with my eyes closed, when Team CFVY stops by.

'I'm awake,' I say as they hover on the doorstop.

Velvet and Yatsuhashi enter. Fox and Coco lean against the wall, but they don't look hostile. I open my eyes, see who it is, and force myself upright.

'I'm glad you came. I wanted to thank you, Coco. I'm pretty sure you saved my life. So… thank you. Seriously.'

Luckily it seems that Coco Adel is just as uncomfortable with emotions as I am. 'You're welcome, brat,' she said, crossing her arms. 'Heard you were in a coma for a couple of days.'

'The alternative would have been pretty shitty,' I mumble before I can stop myself.

'Why'd you do it, anyway?' Coco says suddenly, stirring from her place by the window. 'You don't like Faunus.'

My face freezes a little bit. 'Actually, I don't know if you heard, but I – dated a Faunus.'

'Your teammates mentioned it,' Fox said.

'Yeah, her name was Violet.' I can't look at them. I stare at the ceiling instead. 'We were together, like, four years?'

'What happened?' Coco asks. 'I never heard about this.' She sounds miffed.

'Uh, Coco,' Velvet begins.

'She died,' I blurt. 'Just after graduation. So I left, and I came here, and I figured, if I could make myself hate the Faunus, I wouldn't care so much that one was dead, right?' I manage to laugh. It _is_ funny, in a way; a pathetic, desperate, bleeding way. 'Didn't work. Not for long, anyway. Just meant I became the sort of asshole I always hated. I should actually probably apologise, by the way. I was going to, but I got kind of… side-tracked.' I can see Coco's blush from here.

I wait for them to say something, anything. Coco is the first to speak. 'She was a Huntress?'

'Yeah.' I glance over at the photos on the dressing table. It's the only photo I have of her. Her family refused to give me any others. I think it was the grief. I don't know. I don't tell the others this, that's for damn sure. They've had enough of my heartbreak rammed down their throat for one day.

'So, yeah,' I say, trying to get things back on track. 'Don't actually have any problems with Faunus, in general. Really, that makes it worse. I was just being an asshole. And I know Cardin apologised, but I have to as well, Velvet.'

Coco looks so guilty right now. It's great. It's really, really hilarious. I try not to laugh, and end up yawning instead. Velvet immediately moves for the door. 'We'll let you rest.'

'Hey, actually, what do you guys know about the bomb?' I say quickly. 'Cardin said he'd tell me what he knows, so there must be something?'

'Sorry, brat,' Coco says. 'Ozpin hasn't told us shit. You know as much as we do.'

'Damn,' I mutter. 'Thanks anyway.'

If it was anyone else I'd ask them to stay. I don't really want to be alone right now. But they leave before I can, and all I can think about is the canvas knapsack with Blake Belladonna's name on it in thick black letters.

* * *

The roof is falling. I try and run, but my foot drags behind me.

I wake up knowing I was dreaming. Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better. I'm still afraid.

For a moment I lie there, my eyes closed, feeling my heart beat in my throat. I know where the dream came from: I was thinking about the bomb right up until the moment I fell asleep. Now that I'm awake, though, all I can remember is the awful stillness, the lack of motion under Blake's collarbone. I cherish my own throbbing pulse for a moment, until I realise I'm actually thirsty.

I reach out for my water and swear when my limp fingers knock the cup over entirely. I watch the water drip to the floor and swear a bit more.

'Allow me,' a calm voice says.

This time, I keep my foul language to myself as Professor Ozpin steps in and picks up the cup. He and General Ironwood were seated beside my bed and I didn't even notice.

'Sorry,' I croak. I feel like the fever has gone down, but I'm so thirsty.

Ozpin refills the cup as I force myself further upright. I reach out with both hands, cradle the cup between my palms and sip it carefully.

'That's quite a mouth you've got on you,' Ironwood notes. He actually sounds impressed. 'I've known soldiers who were less creative.'

'Russel Thrush, meet General James Ironwood.' Ozpin looks quietly amused, but he usually does. Ironwood looks uncomfortable. I keep my mouth shut.

'Russel, I've never met you but I owe you my deepest apologies,' Ironwood says finally. 'I was the one who made the call to assign trainee Huntsmen and Huntresses to hold that position. I grievously underestimated the White Fang's strength in that area. If it weren't for you, one of your colleagues would have died. I know no apology can make up for what you went through, but you're a true hero. I hope you know that. I hope you also know that if you ever need to call on me, I will do anything in my power to help you.'

'Thanks,' I say. 'I'll remember.'

'That's quite a Semblance you've got,' he adds. 'It's really quite amazing. To be able to heal people is…' He trails off, shaking his head.

'So it was the White Fang, with the bomb?' I ask, to say something.

Ironwood nods. 'We certainly believe so. It makes sense with the information we have. They would have the extensive knowledge of the area to plant a bomb and they would be interested in targeting Hunters, especially if they knew Team RWBY was the reason their attack failed. We believe that they seized upon Miss Belladonna's bag as the first thing that came to hand, to hold their bomb.'

But the bomb wasn't for Team RWBY. The White Fang just targeted Blake. They didn't put a bomb in her bag, they left a bomb in a bag for her. It wasn't her bag at all, it never was. Didn't RWBY tell him? And for that matter, how did the White Fang even know about RWBY? How did they know Blake's name?

Holy fuck.

I inhale, choking, dropping the cup and spitting water across the blanket. My chest throbs as I hack desperately, feeling my lungs burn, feeling my poor brain protest. Ironwood lunges forwards and pounds me on the back as I double over. My head is spinning and it's not from oxygen deprivation.

'Are you alright?' Ironwood exclaims.

'Fine!' I wheeze.

Oh my god. Holy fuck. Holy motherfuck.

Blake Belladonna was a member of the White Fang.

Holy fuck. Holy shit. She was a fucking Fang! She was, she fucking was! It's the only thing that makes sense! She tried to pretend she wasn't a Faunus and she totally is a Faunus and then she got blown up by the White Fang! They knew her name, they knew her name, oh my god, they knew her personally! Oh my god! They left a bomb for her! Holy fucking shit!

'Are you alright?' Ozpin asks curiously.

'I'm fine!' I squeak again. 'I'm totally fine, what were we talking about?'

'We were talking about the White Fang,' Ironwood says. 'But I think we should let you rest…'

'That sounds _great_!' I say as enthusiastically as possible. 'It's been so nice meeting you, but I'm really tired and I think I overused my Semblance and I'm pretty sure Goodwitch – uh Professor Goodwitch is going to be really pissed if I get too tired and she's a really scary lady and she's standing right behind you hi Professor!'

'Mr Thrush,' Goodwitch says, her face completely deadpan.

'Take care of yourself, Russel,' Ironwood says, standing and giving me a look that says he clearly thinks I'm mad.

'Soooo great to meet you!' I have no idea how I'm meant to be acting. What were we talking about? What was the emotional tone of our conversation? I don't even remember. All I can think is that Blake Belladonna was a terrorist, and that should not make her hotter.

Who am I kidding, it totally does.

With another doubtful look at me, he nods at us and leaves. At a look from Ozpin, Goodwitch follows him.

'How do you feel?' Ozpin asks when we're alone.

I pull my thoughts together. This man is too dangerous to play games with when your mind is scattered. 'Like I got the shi – like I got kicked to hell and back.' It's true. I'm exhausted, now that the rush of adrenaline is fading.

'Your body will make a full recovery,' Ozpin says. 'I am more concerned about how _you_ feel.'

I shoot him a quick look. His facial expression hasn't changed. 'Fine,' I say finally.

'You're sure? I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but you did almost die.'

'I'm fine,' I say after a moment of thought. It was true. Kind of. My soul felt kind of – battered, but… I saved someone. I saved Blake. And apparently Blake is a terrorist. Shit, did I even do the right thing saving her? I try to imagine a world where I chose not to use my Semblance, and I shudder. 'I have no regrets.'

Professor Ozpin smiles back. 'I understand. But you still went through quite an ordeal. You can't be surprised if there are wounds that don't appear right away. If there's anything you want to talk to me about, I hope that you'll come to me.'

'Got it.' I hesitate. 'You were right last time, y'know. Even if you did phrase it really condescendingly.'

'I thought making you angry might be the best way to make you pay attention,' Ozpin says calmly. 'I'm glad to see it worked.'

I snort despite myself. He gives me a brief smile. 'May I add, Mr Thrush, that the positive changes you've been experiencing have been less due to me, and more your teammates. I can also say that you have been just as influential on them as they have on you. So please,' he stands, 'Keep up the good work.'

He leaves, and I'm alone again.

I don't enjoy it. My head is spinning. Blake Belladonna. I knew she was keeping a lot of secrets, but being a member of the White Fang? Holy shit. Now ninety per cent of the stuff that happens to RWBY makes sense. The attack on the docks, the invasion of Vale, the fucking BOMB!

But she wouldn't still be in the Fang. She couldn't be. They wouldn't have blown her up if she were. An ex-member, hiding her skills in the easiest way possible. Oh, wow. She deliberately inserted herself into the middle of a school full of Hunters. Suddenly my balls feel a lot smaller in comparison.

Shit, what about her team? No, they have to know. They lied to us about the docks. They wouldn't have lied if they hadn't really come there for a…reason…

She must be an ex-member. She must be. RWBY wouldn't support the White Fang, and they wouldn't support Blake if she was still a member. I can see them getting behind her if they were sure she was reformed, though. That'd play their heartstrings like the world's best guitarist.

Holy shit, does _Cardin_ know? Why else didn't he want to talk to me about the bomb? Rest my ass! He was trying to think of a way to tell me! How the fuck did they get Cardin to be ok with this? He's barely ok with the fact that she's a Faunus, let alone a member of the White Fang! Ex-member, I should say.

But that's just it, isn't it? She was a member at one point. At some point in the past, Blake was a criminal. She was a terrorist.

What is there to say to that?

All men walk one path.

I need to talk to my team.

* * *

 **So there you are. A bit of a cute moment with Goodwitch watching over Russel, and a very cute moment with all the teams waiting a full day for him to wake up. The call back to the sap was for my own entertainment.**

 **Before anyone says that Russel realising Blake's past is unrealistic, I wrote Russel as the sort of person who notices things. He noticed Pyrrha's Semblance, for example. And if you had all the information, the conclusion would be a logical one. Ironwood doesn't have all the information - Blake told him it was her bag so he thinks that the White Fang just stole her bag and filled it with explosives. He doesn't realise the bag was planted too. Russel on the other hand knows they're lying, so with that missing piece he can come to the conclusion he did - and make himself look like a fool in the process.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

The next morning, CRDL files into my room and seat themselves with a strange air of expectancy.

'What's up?' I ask, curious.

Cardin shrugs. 'No idea. Ruby said they wanted to talk to us about something and said they'd meet us here.'

'Ok.' I glance at the door. 'So where are they?'

Cardin shrugs again. 'I thought they'd be here already. Pretty sure they left before we did.'

I open my mouth to ask another question, but a loud thump at the window distracts me. I turn, to see Sun Wukong, perched on the windowsill. He sees me looking and waves in a friendly way.

'That's – odd,' Dove comments.

Sun raps on the window. We continue to stare at him.

'Are we going to let him in?' Sky asks after a moment.

'I'm thinking about it,' I say. Sun knocks on the window again and I give him a smug grin from the stability of my bed.

Cardin snorts, goes over to the window, and opens it. Sun slides in. 'Hey guys!' Then he starts tying a rope to the foot of my bed.

Sky rubs his forehead. 'What are you doing.'

He shrugs. 'Not everyone can climb as well as me, y'know?'

'Why can't they use the door?' Cardin asks, leaning out the window as Sun drops the rope down.

'That scary blonde said that now Russel's awake, normal visiting rules apply,' Sun says cheerfully. 'Also that I don't even go here and if she caught me breaking into one more hospital room she'd tie my tail in a knot.'

'Wow. Normally Goodwitch is a lot more subtle when she's threatening students,' Dove says.

'She was pretty mad.'

'And he doesn't even go here,' I add.

The rope jerks and a moment later Yang drops into the room with a thump. 'It's a shame we didn't do this from the roof,' she says. 'Then I could make dropping in jokes.'

'What, Sun didn't give you enough rope to hang yourself?' I ask innocently.

'We didn't give him time. He was too confused when we roped him in to help.'

'She's been planning that one for longer than she'll admit,' Blake says, sliding over the windowsill easily.

'All the strands coming together?' I suggest.

A sigh heralds the appearance of Lie Ren. 'I knew I should have gone last,' he says. 'I should have given you time to get it out of your system.'

'I can't believe you hang out with Nora but get annoyed by puns,' Dove says. 'Where is Nora, anyway?'

Cardin glances down again. 'She's coming,' he says. 'The girls all went last.'

'No, the girls wearing _skirts_ all went last,' Sun corrects him.

Cardin suddenly reaches out the window and hauls a blue-haired kid in by the scruff of his neck, then drops him unceremoniously on the ground. 'That is – the _last time_ ,' the guy gasps. 'Swear to god, Sun!' Then he sees us all staring at him and waves. ''Sup. I'm Neptune.'

'And you're here… because?' I ask.

He shrugs and glances away. 'No reason.' Then he groans because Jaune's fallen on top of him. Serves him right for not moving, I say.

'Unh-huh,' I say, completely unconvinced.

'Hi!' Nora announces, tumbling over the windowsill. 'Neptune is like Dove except maybe not because we don't know anyone else from Sun's team. They're around, I guess, but we don't see them.'

'They're around,' Sun agrees. 'We'll see each other at the Tournament.'

'Unless you're the team we have to fight,' Nora says.

'You'll still see us,' Sun says, confused.

'But you won't,' Nora says cheerfully.

Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha all scale the rope and come in through the window. I'm reminded of some bizarre reverse clown car. Sun quickly winds the rope back up, and then seats himself in front of the door. 'Secure!' he announces with a hopeful look at Blake. She shoots him a quick smile but she has a strange, preoccupied look on her face. 'So, uh, now seems like a good time to apologise for outing you,' Sun says, turning to me. 'About your girlfriend? I'm sorry, but I seriously thought they knew.'

I shrug at him. 'Whatever.'

'That means it's fine,' Nora assures Sun. 'If Russel was really mad he'd threaten to stab you!'

'I've never threatened to stab you,' I say indignantly.

'That's because my weapon is bigger than yours,' Nora says. 'Also, mine explodes!'

'I think I could outrun you,' I say thoughtfully.

Nora lets out a happy laugh. 'You wouldn't be the first.'

Nora Valkyrie. Scary, scary girl.

'So what's with all the subterfuge?' Cardin asks Ruby. 'What did you have to tell us?'

'You need to keep an open mind,' Blake begins. This sounds promising. 'And you need to promise to let me finish.'

'You haven't even started,' Cardin says impatiently.

'Right.' Blake glances down, up again, down, and around. 'I – have a lot of secrets.'

'You and Russel should have a measuring contest one day,' Dove comments.

I stiffen. 'Excuse you?'

Dove glances longingly at the window. 'Uh…'

'Let's let Blake finish,' Sky says hastily.

Blake shoots Sky an unloving look. 'I'm a Faunus. When I was young, and before I came to Beacon, I was a member of the White Fang. I left when I realised how violent and militaristic they had become. I want equality, but I don't think humans need to be beaten down for Faunus to rise–'

'You were WHAT?!' Cardin yells.

'You were a Fang?' Dove exclaims.

'Keep your voice down!' Weiss snaps.

'Wait, you didn't know?' I blurt, looking at my team.

There's a moment of thundering silence as everyone stares at me, open-mouthed. 'What,' Yang says flatly.

'You _knew_?' Blake manages to get out.

I shrug, starting to feel dangerously smug. 'Well, I guessed.' At this point, I'm starting to wonder if healing really is my Semblance. Maybe I've got some sort of super intuition. Or maybe these people are about as subtle as your normal group of seventeen-year-olds. Difficult to say, but super intuition makes me sound cooler.

In a flash of movement, Cardin grabs the front of my hospital gown and pulls me towards him. 'Russel, when did you guess?' he says in a deceptively calm voice, his free hand tensing like he wants to wrap it around my throat.

'Last night, you psycho!' I snap, pushing him loose. 'I thought you knew as well, I thought that's why you didn't want to talk to me about the bomb.'

'No,' Dove says. 'We were just planning on bugging Ozpin until he told us something. That's what we were going to do last night but we couldn't find him.'

'Yeah, he was here with Ironwood,' I say. 'Ironwood was talking about the bomb. I realised RWBY lied to him, I started to wonder why, and…' I shrug. 'It was just obvious.' I glance at Cardin. 'Seriously, man, I know I keep secrets, but this is definitely one I would have mentioned.'

'Can we focus?' Sky demands. 'You guys are getting kind of side-tracked from the fact that _Blake was a terrorist!_ '

RWBY and JNPR wince. 'Be quiet!' Weiss snaps. 'She _was_ a terrorist. Now she's a Huntress.'

'Unfortunately it doesn't quite work like that!' Sky snaps. 'You can't just hit the reset button with a little black bow!'

'Sky, I feel terrible over what I did,' Blake says. 'I was raised in the White Fang, when it was a peaceful organisation. I didn't realise it had changed until it was too late, and then I left. I promise, I don't support them anymore!'

'You're a criminal!' Sky snaps.

I clear my throat. 'Dude, she's getting blown up by her old friends. I think we can agree she's not a member anymore.' RWBY shoot me a grateful look.

'She's dangerous, though,' Dove says neutrally. 'Since people around her seem to be getting blown up too.'

Blake flinches. 'She's trying to atone,' Pyrrha says fiercely. 'She deserves a second chance.'

Sky opens his mouth, but to everyone's surprise, Cardin speaks. 'I don't think anyone here can look back and not find something they'd rather do differently,' he says, not looking at anyone in the room. 'Everyone's got stuff they regret.'

'Maybe so, but most of our regrets aren't criminal activity,' Sky says coldly. 'You were there, Cardin, you saw what the White Fang did to that Pit! They're – they're monsters!'

The memory sends cold rage through me, but I take a deep breath to ignore it. 'Well, that wasn't Blake. She was here when that happened.'

'She supported the group that made it happen,' Dove says.

'And then she fucked over their plans,' I point out. 'Guys, seriously. Here and now. Who do you really think she is? Fang or Huntress.'

'You can't just handwave the past because it isn't the present,' Sky says stiffly.

'And we can't sacrifice the future because the past is weighing us down,' Cardin says. We all give him a startled look and he flushes bright red.

'Dude, the Faunus get so much shit,' I say to Sky. 'You don't even realise. It's amazing that _more_ of them don't join the White Fang. You get kicked enough, you're going to want to fight back. The White Fang got twisted, but they still have a huge amount of power, and to a lot of Faunus, they're their best chance to be seen as more than animals.' I point at Blake. 'She turned her back on what might be her best shot at equality, because she thought the ends didn't justify the means. Can you say you'd have done the same?'

Sky lets loose a deep, shuddering sigh. 'Probably not,' he says, his voice measured. I see Blake look down, and I realise that at some point she's come to value Sky's opinion. Sky sees this too, and to my astonishment, he relents. 'I'm angry and surprised. Give me a couple of days. I can't promise I'll be any happier about it, but I'll try.'

Dove takes Sky's hand. 'I know this isn't really the point,' he says, 'but I like you, Blake. I respect you. I know I shouldn't say that it doesn't matter that you were a criminal, because I like you personally, but – that's it. That's my logic. Every instinct I have says you're a good person.'

Cardin is still flushed, but his jaw is set as he looks at Blake. 'Everyone has stuff they regret. Everyone… not everyone _deserves_ a second chance, but the people who don't just have to kind of hope they get offered one anyway.' He shrugs. 'I think you deserve one. I'm not stupid. I know it's people like me who created the White Fang. It might be too late, but I want to try and fix that. So… I won't say anything.'

There's silence for a moment, then I realise everyone's looking at me. 'I've had twelve hours to out you.' I shrug at them.

'He has a point,' Ren says.

Yang grins at me. 'Evil doers beware. Your secret's not safe with Russel Thrush around.'

'I gotta say, though, you're all on more drugs than me if you think Ozpin hasn't guessed,' I add.

'You're not on drugs, you're on syrup,' Nora says.

'Considering how addicted you are, I think that counts,' Jaune says.

Dove looks at Blake. 'So you left the Fang?'

Blake grimaces. 'I thought I was making the world a better place. I didn't see how much they had changed until it was too late.'

Cardin shakes his head, like he can't believe he's saying this. 'Fair enough.'

'That's _it_?' Yang says. 'You guys are taking this really, really well. I expected to have to beat you guys up for a bit.'

'I think Pyrrha beat you to the punch,' I say with a crooked grin.

'Yaaaaas!' Yang crows.

'You know, they're actually a really cute couple,' Sun says to Neptune.

'How much pain medication _are_ you on?' Weiss asks.

'Not enough.' I'm not even joking, there. Pain medication retards Aura regeneration. Goodwitch decided to cut back in the hopes that I'd get stronger faster. She consulted with me first, to be fair, but I'm too uncomfortable to want to be fair at the moment. Every muscle in my body is aching. 'But seriously, we've done stupider things. I mean, joining an organisation you thought was helping? That's barely even, like, a blip on the dumb radar. Dumdar? Whatever.' Ok, maybe the sap is having more effect than I thought.

'Having said that,' Cardin begins, 'This needs to stop. The bullshit secret-keeping. It doesn't help anyone, and it's actually hurting people. You need to bring us in, Ruby.'

They exchange doubtful looks. 'Nobody's really _in_ anything,' Ruby says. 'We just sort of – make it up as we go along.'

'If you shared information maybe you wouldn't have to,' Sky says.

Cardin nods. 'Maybe everyone knowing everything won't help, but it sure as hell can't hurt. If we know what might be coming we hopefully won't get blindsided.' He glances around. 'I think – I _hope_ that we can trust each other.'

'You deserve it,' Ruby says quietly. Cardin beams, then adds, 'But seriously, who the fuck are those two?' He points at Sun and Neptune.

'In the start I was just here to help Blake,' Sun begins.

'Help Blake with _what_?' Dove asks slyly.

Sun decides to pretend he didn't hear that, though Blake is giving Dove a look that promises vengeance. 'But something is going down. Things are building up, and something is going to happen.'

'Nobody knows what, though,' Weiss says.

I lean back and think. 'The White Fang set up a Grimm invasion–'

'We think the Fang are actually working as muscle,' Ruby says. 'They might not be the driving force.'

'So we don't have to factor in their motivations,' Sky says, his analytical mind kicking in. 'That's worrying. A known variable would be good.'

'RWBY disrupted their attack,' I say. 'If you hadn't shown up, the Grimm would have breached Vale without a single team of Hunters being available.' I shudder to think of the carnage that would have wrought. 'But what's the benefit of a Grimm invasion?'

'Toppling a beacon of civilisation would be a hell of an endgame,' Sky says. 'But we can't discount the fact that there might be a third party at play. If Ironwood, for example, went bad, then–'

'We're screwed,' Dove says.

'Thoroughly,' Sky agrees. 'But I'm just using him as an example. Tangential benefits. He might have fought off the Grimm single-handed, gotten a huge amount of political power and executed a bloodless coup. He's halfway there now, he's taken over security for the tournament so imagine what would have happened if Vale hadn't been able to supply any Hunters to clean up their own mess at all? Then there's the fact that the tournament would have been put on hold, another kingdom could have claimed the chance to hold it earlier for the economic benefits, Vale would have lost a huge amount of political credit allowing for the implementation of long-term foreign policies, and of course there's the possibility that Goodwitch just engineered this whole thing to lure more male Huntsmen to the area so she could get a date.' He stops for breath to find us all staring at him. 'That's just off the top of my head,' he says apologetically. 'Give me a couple of minutes and I'll come up with a dozen more options.'

'That's not hyperbole,' Dove tells us.

'You sound like Oobleck,' I say, amused.

'No need to be insulting,' Sky says indignantly.

'Normally I'd say he's being paranoid, but… Grimm invasion,' Jaune says.

'One thing I am curious about,' Sky says. 'Ruby, how'd your team even know where to look for the White Fang?'

'Well, we had some information from a contact,' Ruby says. 'Then, when we got to the general area, we just looked for Grimm.'

'So you tracked criminals through the movement of Grimm,' Sky says slowly.

Dove groans suddenly. ' _Don't_ –'

'I fucking _told_ you so!' Sky says triumphantly.

'Ignore them both,' Cardin says firmly. 'What's the likelihood of the tournament itself being attacked? Because I'll be honest, I saw the floating stadium and started thinking of ways to make it crash, and I wasn't even really motivated.'

'At least you can't crash a train full of explosives into a floating stadium,' Ruby says.

'You hope,' Yang tells her.

'Security would be high,' Blake says thoughtfully.

'It will be now,' Pyrrha agrees. 'After the attacks…'

We look at each other and sigh. 'More information,' Sky says. 'That's all we need.' Then he blinks guiltily. 'Ah, speaking of sharing information… Russel…'

I stiffen. ' _Whaaaaat_?'

'We kind of… told everyone everything about you,' Sky says.

I pause for a moment. 'Come again?'

'We were talking in the plane on the way here and we told everyone about your parents,' Sky says.

'And your grandmother,' Cardin says, glaring at Sky.

'Your Semblance,' Dove adds.

'And why you're basically such a dick,' Cardin concludes. 'In our defence, we were pretty sure you were going to die, so we wouldn't have to apologise later.' He gives a crooked smile, but nobody thinks he's entirely joking.

Sun lets out a quiet cheer. 'Not me this time!'

I take a deep breath, then exhale. 'Ok then.'

I'm surprised I'm not angry. So is everyone else. 'You're taking this better than we expected,' Ruby notes.

'I was never going to tell you guys. So… someone had to, I suppose.' It's true; if I ever wanted any sort of meaningful relationship with these people, they had to know the truth. I'm realistic enough to know that. I'm also realistic enough to know that in some ways, some limited but important ways, I am still a very, very broken person. I wouldn't have told them. I couldn't have. 'And if anyone's earned the right, it's these assholes.' Pyrrha smiles at me, hearing the echo in my words, and I smile back crookedly. 'They're my team. I trust them.'

'And honestly, I'd say it was a part of the whole secret-keeping bullshit thing I did just say has to end,' Cardin says with a hint of bite in his voice.

I roll my eyes, the warm and fuzzy feeling falling away. 'Ok, what _exactly_ would have changed if I had told everyone my personal life? I still would have fallen into the ravine, Blake would still have caught a bomb to the face, and I'd still have blown my Aura healing her.'

'True,' Cardin says in a measured tone, 'But I wouldn't be nearly as angry at you.'

'It was never relevant!' I protest. Yang, Ren, Cardin, Sky and Dove all cross their arms at me. 'Stop that,' I add crossly.

'Secret-keeping bullshit, Russel,' Cardin says firmly. ' _Ends_.'

I throw my hands up in the air. 'Fine. Fine. Secret-keeping bullshit ends. Violet committed suicide. There. That's the last thing I wasn't telling everyone.' I think. Honestly, at this point I've legitimately lost track. Cardin might have a point... not that I'd ever tell him that, of course.

Cardin winces. 'I was – going to let you keep that secret, actually.'

I shrug at him, ignoring the horrified looks on JNPR and RWBY's faces. 'I'm sorry, when you said secret-keeping bullshit, I assumed you meant all of the secret-keeping bullshit. Or are there degrees of secret-keeping bullshit now?'

Cardin rubs his face. 'Swear to god, Russel, if you weren't in a hospital bed I'd be kicking your ass right now.'

'You could _try_ ,' I snap.

'Russel,' Jaune begins.

I turn and point a finger at him. 'Noooooo…' He subsides. I look at the room. 'Secret-keeping bullshit ending does not mean deep and meaningful hair braiding begins. The first person to try and play 'poor little orphan' with me gets thrown out the window if I have to call in Goodwitch to help.'

'Don't say her name, man, you'll summon her here,' Dove says.

Blake shakes her head. 'This is going nowhere productive, is it?'

Yang grins. 'I don't know, it's a pretty good spectator sport.'

'Is there anything else to say?' Cardin asks.

'Just that it's really awesome that you guys are on board,' Ruby says with enthusiasm and sincerity. She's such a sweet kid.

'Seriously, is _nobody_ going to comment on how well these guys took the news?' Neptune demands. 'We thought you'd need us to put them in headlocks or something!'

CRDL exchanges cynical glances, then Cardin speaks for us. 'Finding a Pit, being blown up and then someone almost dying gives you a sense of perspective.'

That reminds me of something. 'All men walk one path,' I say thoughtfully.

'You guys have said that a few times,' Ruby says. 'What does it mean?'

Dove shrugs. 'It was something written in the Pit by one of the people held there. I think it was a farewell. Like, we'll see you eventually.'

'It sounds more like forgiveness,' Pyrrha says. 'All are brothers – and sisters – under the skin.'

'All men walk one path,' Jaune says. 'It sounds like it's just saying that everyone dies eventually.'

I snort. 'You're all wrong. It was a screw-you to the guards. "This is my path and I've chosen it, and I have no regrets."' I look at them. 'It was their final defiance.'

'It was a curse,' Nora says, sounding surprisingly serious. 'Choose your path with care, because after a while… you can't step off it.'

'Well, now that Nora's killed the mood,' Yang says cheerfully, 'We can leave.'

'How are you going to leave, anyway?' I ask curiously.

The door slams open, and Goodwitch stands there like an avatar of rage. 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?'

'Short answer,' Yang says sadly. 'Coffins.'

'Coffin drops,' I say thoughtfully. 'Always carry some in your purse.'

Yang grins at me. 'You're speaking my yanguage.'

'I'm going to die and at this point I don't even mind,' Ren says, his voice carrying under the sound of Goodwitch's angry yelling.

'You're Rensigned to your fate,' I say with a grin.

'That,' Ren says with deep dignity, 'was terrible.' And then he turns his back on me.

'I liked it,' Yang whispers to me with a sweet smile.

I grin back. 'You're my target audience.'


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

'I can walk.'

'I know you can.'

'Then stop hovering.'

'I'm not hovering.'

'You're totally hovering!'

'You were in the hospital for a fortnight.'

'So you admit that you're hovering.'

Cardin crossed his arms. 'I didn't say that.'

I glare at him as we step out of the infirmary. For the past week, Cardin has been waiting outside the door when I wake up. Sky shows up while I'm getting my midday check-up, and Dove appears from dinner until visiting hours are over. From what I've weaselled out of them, Goodwitch won't allow them more than three hours off per day now that I'm on the road to recovery. Unfortunately for her, they took her at face value.

Not only is my team hovering, they're hovering in shifts.

'I'm good to leave the infirmary, so stop following me,' I say snappishly.

'You remember we live together, right?' Cardin asks. 'You realise this is just me walking back to my dorm room.'

I make a rude noise and shove the door open. Cardin doesn't comment when it takes me two hands to do so, but he does let out a bark of laughter when I stop dead at the top of the flight of stairs that lead down to the ground.

Waiting for me at the bottom is Sky, Dove, and all of RWBY and JNPR – plus Sun and Neptune.

'Son of a _bitch_ ,' I mutter to myself. 'What are you doing here?' I demand as I walk down to meet them.

'Hey, shouldn't you use the ramp?' Jaune asks, pointing. I glare at him and he shuts up.

'We're just hanging,' Yang says.

I cross my arms. 'Bullshit!'

'We go to school here too, y'know,' Ruby says brightly.

'They don't.' I point an accusing finger at Sun and Neptune.

'Uh… moral support?' Sun tries.

'You're obviously feeling better,' Blake says drily. Oh yeah, Belladonna, try and pretend you haven't been ambushing Sky every day outside the hospital. My room has windows, I've seen you! Also, why does everyone assume that me getting angry at people means that nothing is wrong?! I glare at them all for a little bit, but I'm too happy to be out of the infirmary to let my bad mood persist.

'I'm not allowed to train for a bit,' I admit. 'But apparently staying in the infirmary was worse for my Aura than leaving.'

'You still have time to prepare for the Tournament,' Weiss says comfortingly.

It actually takes me a moment to remember what she's talking about. In comparison to what's happened to us all, it seems – trivial?

'The tournament is going to be great,' Yang says enthusiastically.

'I expect you all to kick butt,' a familiar voice a few metres away breaks in.

We all turn. Yang lets out a yell of joy and Ruby does the same, her voice hitting a tone that I'm pretty sure only the dog can fully appreciate. Wivern is standing there. Ruby takes a running leap and throws herself into his arms, Yang right behind her, both letting out yells that sound exactly like 'Daddy!'

Cardin's jaw drops. Sky is speechless. I know I'm gaping like an idiot. Dove looks like he's been hit over the head with something heavy.

'That's Ruby and Yang's father?' Ren says thoughtfully.

'Must be,' Jaune says. 'He's got Yang's eyes.' Now that he's not wearing sunglasses, the tiny part of me that's not screaming notes.

'That's Ruby and Yang's father,' Sky repeats numbly. Cardin elbows me hastily and I snap my mouth shut as Yang and Ruby return to the group, towing _their motherfucking father_ with them.

'Guys, this is our dad!' Yang chirps. 'Taiyang Xiao Long, meet Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna. That's Jaune, Ren, Nora, and that's Pyrrha. And that's Cardin, Sky, Dove and Russel. And that's Neptune and Sun.'

He actually shakes our hands as we gape at him. When I have a chance to think back I'll realise what a miracle it was that nobody noticed how poleaxed we all look.

It turns out – I think, my attention was sort of short-circuited by horror and shock – that after several angry calls from Goodwitch, Yang's father has dropped by to pick up the dog which he sent to them because he's their father. He's also setting up a few days before the tournament for Ruby and Yang to return home to spend time with him because he's their father. But since he's a Hunstman as well as their father, he's also going on missions. And he's telling them now because he's their father. Specifically Yang's father.

After a few moments he wanders off with Yang, Ruby and the dog. They're planning a nice family lunch. Because he's their father (and owner). JNPR, Sun and Neptune draw a little ahead of us as we make our way to the dorms in total silence. Dove is actually the one who recovers the fastest: as we enter the dorm he turns to me, takes one look at my face, and bursts out laughing.

'Oh – my – god,' Dove chokes out. 'You were talking about her _boobs!_ In front of her _dad_.'

Cardin shoots me a look of deep sympathy – though I can see his lips twitching, the bastard! – and Sky looks genuinely horrified. ' _I_ was talking about her boobs, Dove!'

That only makes Dove laugh harder. 'And Russel was talking about her ass!'

'I– you –' I stutter.

'So were you!' Sky says.

Dove doesn't stop laughing. His next sentence takes him a while to get out. 'If Wivern – shit, what's his actual name? whoever – kills me now, it'll have been worth it to see the look on your face.' He wipes his streaming eyes. 'Shit, son. You done fucked up.'

'I'm – she – he – you–'

At that, Cardin loses it too. Sky, who is now my only friend on this team, pats my arm sympathetically. I'm barely walking in a straight line, and when Jaune drops back to mention something to us, he takes one look at me and blurts out, 'I knew you should've used the ramp.'

I turn to stare vaguely at him. I feel like I've been hit with a giant wave: after the first, thunderous impact, I'm coming to the surface and spluttering for air, feeling the salt burn in my nostrils, trying to wipe the sand from my eyes.

'He's fine,' Cardin says hastily. 'Right, Russ?'

'I'm so very, very fucked,' I breathe with more sincerity than I've ever mustered in my life.

'He's physically fine. For now,' Dove tells Jaune, and promptly starts laughing again.

* * *

We grab lunch and then wander back to our dorm room. As we round the corner, we see Taiyang Xiao Long – aka Yang's goddamn father! – leaning against a wall outside the dormitories, apparently just enjoying the sun.

As one, we make a beeline for him.

'Boys,' he says lazily, not opening his eyes as we draw to a halt in front of him.

'Dick move!' Cardin says furiously.

Wivern – Taiyang – opens his eyes at that. 'Not revealing my secret identity to you whilst on an undercover mission, you mean?'

A few months ago this might have cowed and confused Cardin. Now, 'Yes, that's exactly what I mean!'

Taiyang shrugs again. 'I wasn't lying when I said Corvus didn't run it past me. I wasn't planning on you. I certainly wasn't planning on telling you the truth. He was the one who thought that abandoning the moles would be irresponsible, and then we did that anyway.'

'Corvus,' Sky says slowly. 'Ruby and Yang's uncle. The one who taught Ruby to use her scythe. I knew his fighting style was familiar!'

'You need to learn to trust your instincts more,' Taiyang agrees. 'We were scared to hell you'd make us for a while there.'

'Stop distracting him!' Cardin snaps. 'We've strayed from the point, which is, and I repeat, dick move!'

Taiyang grins, finally. 'Alright. I'll give you that.' He crosses his arms. 'I'm sorry. Is that what you all want to hear?' He glances at me and frowns. 'You look – odd. Pale. Paler.'

I'm strangely hurt. 'Yang didn't tell you?'

'Tell me what?'

'Ask Yang,' I snip. 'See if she cares enough to remember.'

Dove punches me in the shoulder. 'Do not be that guy. You really think Yang _wants_ to be reminded about how you and Blake nearly died? She doesn't know her dad knows you, why would she want to bring the mood down?'

Taiyang straightens. 'Tell me.'

I heave a sigh. 'Blake got caught in a bomb blast and I healed her. I had next to no Aura, so… yeah.' I shrug at him. 'No big deal.'

'He only left the hospital this morning,' Cardin tells Taiyang.

'But we're still starting sparring tomorrow,' I say hastily.

'Good. Spar with Yang. She needs to work on fighting opponents with speed.' He mumbles something under his breath that sounds like 'I sure as hell needed to.'

I hesitate, then shoot Cardin a pleading look. He nods briefly. 'It was good to see you again.'

Taiyang jerks back to alertness. 'You too. Your team's done well. Keep it up.'

He can't shake their hands because students are passing us, but he gives them a firm nod that's the same in spirit. Then they wander off towards the dormitories and I turn to him. 'Listen, about Yang–'

'Kid, the day I get involved in Yang's lovelife is the day I should be diagnosed to see what's made me crazy,' Taiyang said directly. 'I know she'll tell you that I scared all the boys off. That wasn't me, kid. That was _her._ She's the one you're taking your chances with, not me. So you want to go ahead – you go ahead. It's between you and her.'

I hesitate. 'I – I'm not asking your permission. It's none of your business.' I shrug. 'I don't know what I'm doing. But I'm doing it.' I refrain from adding "So there!" to the end.

'You're right, it's not my business.' He claps me on the shoulder briefly. 'I can still wish you good luck, though.'

Despite myself my shoulders relax. 'Thanks.'

He nods solemnly, then leans forward. 'But hear this – you objectify my daughter in front of a bunch of strangers again and I will find out. And I will _end_ you.'

I raise an eyebrow and lean forwards, matching his tone. 'You'll have to catch me first.'

Taiyang smirks. 'You and Yang will do well together – if you don't murder each other.' He sees my face pale and grimaces. 'Alright, that was in poor taste. Really, though – follow your heart.'

'I am.' I grin. 'It's leading me into the light. Later, boss.'

'Later, brat. Take care of yourself. No more explosions!'

'Did you not just hear me?' I toss him a grin. 'I've fallen for Yang. The whole damn thing will be one big explosion.'

I think I hear him say, 'That's how you know it's working,' but when I look back, he's staring into the sun, rubbing his eyes and blinking. I decide I must have misheard him.

* * *

We start sparring the next day. We still haven't worked out who's going to go into the Tournament – assuming we make it past the first round – but I need to get back into shape. We take a leaf out of Nikos and Arc's book, and sneak onto the roof above our dorms, keeping a sharp eye out for Goodwitch. Dove and I begin to square off – of all my team he's the one I trust to be able to pull his punches if necessary.

'I'm sure you're not meant to be doing this,' an amused voice says as we start circling.

We all freeze, but it's only Pyrrha and Jaune. 'Goddamnit, I thought you locked the door?' I demand of Cardin.

'Oh, yeah, lock the door while we're outside?' Cardin scoffs. 'Real smart, Russel.'

Sky points at Pyrrha and Jaune, standing there watching us. 'I think I'd rather have to climb down to our dorm room than have Goodwitch catch us, Cardin.'

Cardin opens his mouth to protest, and closes it until he has a chance to think of a response. Dove turns to Nikos and Arc. 'So, you guys don't _need_ to use this roof, right? I mean, you can go use one of the training rooms.'

'Whereas you can't, because you're not meant to be doing this, right?' Jaune says, crossing his arms.

I brighten up instantly as a thought strikes me. 'Want to be helpful, Jaune?' For once.

He gives me a suspicious look. 'Maybe…'

I gesture to him. 'Spar with me.'

'Russel,' Cardin sighs, pressing his palm to his forehead.

'Why me?' Jaune asks, startled.

I shrug at him. 'You don't hit as hard as, say, Pyrrha. Or Cardin.' Or Sky, or Ruby, or the dog…

He hesitates. 'I don't know…'

'No, seriously, let's spar,' I say, painting my most innocent look on my face. 'Come on, Pyrrha, back me up – we should practice with different partners, right?'

Pyrrha shoots me a suspicious look. 'That's true –'

'See, it's true,' I say, spreading my hands.

'It's also true that you shouldn't spar when you aren't fully well,' Pyrrha said scoldingly.

'Well, that's going to happen no matter who my opponent is,' I say reasonably. 'Come on, Arc, don't be that guy.'

'What guy? I won't be that guy!' Jaune protests. 'Ok, let's spar!'

Ah, good old-fashioned peer pressure. It never fails. Dove rubs his forehead. 'Trading me in for a blonder model?'

'Yeah, well, you'll always have Sky,' I say absently, shifting my footing as Jaune strides out to face me.

'Ground rules,' Dove says, stepping between us. 'No biting, no eye-gouging, no pushing people off the roof. I'm looking at you, Russel!'

'I wouldn't bite or eye-gouge,' I murmur.

Jaune and Pyrrha, thinking I'm joking, smile. My team doesn't. Dove turns to Jaune and points a warning finger at him. 'Please don't put him back in hospital. If you do I'm blaming you when Goodwitch comes for her pound of flesh.'

'They'll be fine,' Pyrrha says uncertainly.

'Begin,' Dove sighs with the same tone he'd use if he realised he had missed his airship and nothing could possibly make him catch it.

Jaune raises his shield into guard position and I drop to the ground and go to sweep his legs out from under him. He dances back and blocks my high kick with his shield, and I take a moment to catch my breath. 'Fuck,' I mutter. I am shockingly out of shape, and Jaune has actually gotten pretty decent. I guess one-on-one training every night from a world-ranked fighter will do that.

'We can take a break?' Jaune offers.

'We've been fighting for less than ten seconds,' I say, incredulous.

'Well, yeah, but you move like you've just been mauled by Grimm …' He realises what he said and his face pales.

'For _fuck's_ sake,' Cardin sighs audibly from the sidelines. Dove smothers a chuckle, and Sky hastily strikes up a conversation with Pyrrha about the weather.

I rub my forehead. 'Arc – you don't know what your Semblance is, do you?'

'Uh – not yet,' he admits.

'Ok. I'm starting a pool, and I'm putting fifty bucks on "making people both angry and incredulous."' I flip Polaris and Octantis upright and crouch slightly. 'No break.'

'I have a twenty on "Escaping death despite all laws of physics and principles of logic,"' Cardin calls.

'Hey!' Jaune said indignantly.

'Put me down for "animal telepathy,"' Dove says. 'I still haven't worked out how you trapped those rapier wasps.'

Sky snorts with laughter then promptly looks guilty. 'Uh, focus, guys. Though, also, I want to place a bet for "ability to tactically assess a situation despite having no classical training. Like, at all."'

'Wouldn't that be covered by Cardin's suggestion?' Pyrrha asks. 'Falling as it does under the principles of logic?'

'No, mine is death-specific,' Cardin explains. 'Sky's is just Jaune's Semblance _generally_ telling the principles of logic to sit down and shut up.'

'Ok, one, _Pyrrha_! And two, I can read!' Jaune protests.

'Reading doesn't count as a Semblance,' I tell him. Though, why not? There have to be stupider Semblances out there, right?

'Ok, but–' Jaune begins, turning back to me.

I throw myself at him, get a grip on his jacket and this time manage to overbalance him. He wasn't expecting a grapple – considering how weak I am, it was a particularly stupid choice; stupid _like a fox_! _–_ and we topple to the ground. I wriggle an arm around his neck and settle in for a chokehold.

'Russel, let him go,' Dove says severely.

'Don't wanna,' I say, wrapping my legs around Jaune's chest so he can't shake me off.

' _Russel.._.' Pyrrha says.

'Come on, Pyrrha, you're ruining my dream here.'

'Your dream is to get up close and personal with Jaune Arc?' Dove asks. 'Guess I shouldn't be surprised – you clearly have a thing for blondes, and he was wearing that dress…'

'God damn it, you made it weird!' I complain, releasing Jaune before he passes out completely. Jaune gurgles something and I pull him to his feet. 'Don't look away from the person you're fighting,' I advise.

'Did you really have to nearly choke him out?' Sky asks sternly.

'Hey, you guys were the ones who told me I wasn't allowed to kick him off the roof.'

'Look, I'm sorry,' Jaune croaks, massaging his throat. 'I don't mean to, I swear.'

It's because you care about people's feelings. You actually listen to what you say, and you're smart enough to know that sometimes things can hurt. It's because you're a good guy, Arc. 'Yeah, well, just be lucky I decided there wasn't enough room in there for both our feet, or I'd have kicked your teeth in,' I say.

'Ignore him. He's just trying to pretend that that wasn't hard for him,' Cardin says.

' _Phrasing_ ,' Dove murmurs.

'I will kick _you_ off the roof,' Cardin tells him in his this-is-not-me-joking voice. 'Russel, this was a bad idea. Chill out for a few minutes and then you can spar with Dove.'

'Yeah, whatever,' I say moodily. 'Be back.'

Before they can object I'm through the door and down the stairs. I may not have a lot of stamina but I still have a decent turn of speed. Bursting through the door, I emerge into the corridor – and realise I actually have no plan, just a sort of general motivation to sulk.

Hmm…

I strike a casual pose and turn a couple of corners until I'm outside Yang's dorm room. Then I wander past a couple of times, still casually… and then I actually gather my courage and go to knock on the door.

'Uh – can we help you?' an amused voice says behind me.

I freeze, my fist a few seconds from impact on the wood, and I turn to see Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Ruby watching me. So – they weren't in their dorm room, then. Aaand they saw me pacing like a nervous cat. Awesome. Super awesome. _Great._

'Ladies,' I say. 'So… you guys doing anything?'

'Well, actually– ' Weiss begins as Ruby opens the door to their room and Blake shoves Weiss in mid-sentence.' – hey!'

'No,' Yang says as the door closes with a snap. 'I'm not doing anything.'

'You want to do something?' I offer.

She crosses her arms and grins. 'What did you have in mind?'

I open my mouth to respond, but before I can, Cardin appears behind me. 'Russel! Dude. We were in the middle of a training session!'

I grit my teeth. 'Hey, I managed to choke out Jaune. I got what I wanted. Besides, I thought you told me to chill?'

'For like two minutes!' He sees Yang and sighs. 'Ok. Never mind.' He shakes his head. 'Whatever. We're going to keep sparring, come back whenever.'

'Sparring?' Yang says, brightening. Then she frowns. 'Should you be doing that?'

'Did you not just hear me say I choked out Arc?'

'Yeah, I guess my first thought is that you didn't throw him off the roof, so – you're still pretty sick?'

'No. Dove specifically told me I wasn't allowed to.'

Yang giggles. 'I'll spar with you,' she offers.

I grin slowly. 'You sure?'

'Sure I'm sure.'

The door bursts open and Ruby bounces out. 'Hey, I'll spar with you!' Wait, they could hear that? Ok, that is definitely something I need to know in the future.

I hesitate and glance at Yang. 'I – ok.'

She shrugs in resignation as the remainder of RWBY emerges into the corridor. 'Fine by me.' Although, is it my ego, or does she look a little disappointed that our teams just joined forces to cockblock us? She does! _Score._

* * *

The sparring works out surprisingly well. Ren and Nora pop up after a few minutes, and with all of us there, there are gaps of quite a while between each match. I can catch my breath in peace, and everyone is polite enough not to comment on it. It's a beautiful day; the afternoon light is shining down onto the roof, but the walls throw deep shadows that we can relax in. This is less like sparring and more like - just hanging out with friends. I like it.

I'm watching Ruby make Cardin look like an elephant when Nora drops down next to me. 'Hiya! Y'know, it's weird.'

'What is?' I ask. Trying to understand Nora Valkyrie's world view is like ice cream: it's so bad for you, and you know it, but you just can't resist.

'Nobody fights the same, even though they should.'

'Even though they should?' I repeat.

'Yeah.' Nora stretches. 'You and Pyrrha don't fight the same, and Sky and Ren don't fight the same, and Dove and I don't fight the same, and Cardin and Ruby don't fight the same.'

'Well, yeah, they all use different weapons.'

'But they're the same.'

'I don't think that word means what you think it means.'

'Dove is CRDL's Nora. And Ren and Sky are the same, and Pyrrha and you are the same, and Ruby and Cardin are the same. But none of us fight the same.'

'So we're not the same.' Then my brain catches up with my ears and I twist to stare at her. 'Wait, what?'

'Don't deny it,' she says, the same small grin on her lips alone.

I open my mouth to do just that, and then pause. She's – not wrong. I mean, she must be, but – I think back to Sky and Ren, discussing something, some bit of academic trivia that nobody but an absolute nerd could find interesting, in calm and level terms. I remember Dove and Nora – admittedly as the louder halves of their partnerships, funhouse mirrors that hold a truth we all admit to. And Ruby and Cardin, neither of whom should really be as good at leading as they are.

So true, and yet - so superficial. True in broad strokes. True, but not complete.

When compiling a puzzle you start with the borders because they're easily recognisable. Once you have the outside set up, you can start to work in. it's harder, and it takes longer, and you have to look closer. But you always start with what you know. I look at Nora and I wonder how long life has been a puzzle to her. Or is it only people?

She sees me looking and gives me a little warning frown. _Don't come any closer_ , it says. _Here there be dragons_. I wonder how many people have made it this far with her, how many have been turned aside by the mindless cheer and violence. Nora's a better ninja than Lie Ren, in her own way. I give her a nod of respect, one broken person to the other, and reflect for a moment that if I had been half as good at her as hiding how damaged I was, my life might have turned out very, very differently.

I see Ren looking at us from across the roof. His eyes are clear and direct. He sees us. He always sees us. I give him a smile, a genuine smile, and his face relaxes.

'You ever feel like you're so lucky, it must mean that something terrible is coming?' I ask Nora quietly.

'All the time,' she says in a chipper tone. 'And then I tell myself that when it does I'll smash it into a million pieces. '

 _But it doesn't work like that_ , I don't have to say. I know Nora's an orphan. She knows I know. She knows I know that she knows that it doesn't work like that. But what's life without the lies you tell yourself? Lies breed truth. Tell yourself you'll destroy the danger and you give yourself the truth you need to face it: that these lies might change and become what's real.

You can only ever hope. True, but not complete...but still enough to get by on.

'Ok,' I say slowly. 'I'll give you the others. But – come _on_. Pyrrha and me? As if.'

Nora laughs at me. She actually laughs out loud. Then she gets up and wanders off, leaving me staring after her.

Yang sits down beside me. 'You haven't been up in a while,' she notes, nodding to the centre of the roof.

'Neither have you.'

'I need to work on my speed,' she admits, with the air of someone saying they have some shameful secret.

'I could help with that.'

'I really do need to work on my speed,' she says warningly.

'And I really could help with that.' I glance over to where Ruby is currently making a good effort at putting a dent the same size and shape as Cardin's face into the roof. 'Though your sister could probably do better, to be honest.'

'Maybe I want you to help,' Yang says, leaning against me.

'Maybe.' I hesitate, then inch my arm around her.

We watch for a few moments, then I lean over and whisper into her ear, 'Y'know… we could disappear and they would never notice…'

Yang grins. 'Russing off already?'

'I know we haven't been here _long_ ,' I say. 'Xiao we make a move, though?'

'That's not fair,' Yang protests. 'You've got more ammunition.'

'You mean yangunition, right?'

Yang grabs my hand. 'Let's go. _Now_.'

* * *

We walk on the clifftops for hours as the sky darkens. Officially we're working on my stamina. Really, we walk at the speed of the sun crossing the sky. And the amazing thing is I don't even mind. The conversation – which let's be honest, isn't the important thing – is wandering from topic to topic when Yang says abruptly, 'It's weird to know a view.'

'How so?'

'You look out over this–' she waves at the forest. 'And it stays the same. Ruby and I lived on an island. We lived by the sea. The sea was never the same. The light was always different.'

'I never paid much attention to where I was,' I admit. 'In Vacuo – it's too damn hot, for one thing. But I was always moving, too, with all the fosters. You're right – it does feel kind of calming.'

'We're going to know this view for another three years,' Yang says. 'And even then, we'll come back here. This is our anchor.'

'So that when we get lost, we can come home?' I think about it. 'It's weird to have a home,' I admit.

Yang grins. 'Well, you do. And if your team does anything to get kicked out now, I'm beating you up.'

'I'm not going anywhere,' I promise her.

It's a massive lie that I'll die to make true. I'm not going anywhere. This is my place, and these are my people. This is my home.

Actually, speaking of…

'I just thought of something,' I told her.

'Hm?'

'Well, neither team will be sure where we are, will they?'

'We did kind of disappear,' she agrees.

'So… they won't want to go into either dorm room. Just in case they – just in case.' I'm blushing a little, but I'm also grinning, and so is Yang as she sees where I'm going.

'So basically, they're stuck on the roof, waiting for us to come back up so that they know it's safe to go and get changed for dinner,' she concludes.

We look at each other and we both start to laugh, and as we do, I think, _This. This_ is truth.

And it's fucking beautiful.

I hope you'll greet me in the next life, Vi. If only to show there are no hard feelings. I'll see you again one day, but until then, I'm going to be happy.

This is the eternity I choose.


	33. Chapter 33

**And we are back in business! Thanks to zetashark for being my beta!**

 **Chapter Thirty-Three**

'I can't believe this is finally happening,' Cardin murmurs. 'It feels like an eternity.'

I inhale, trying to still my face. 'I know how you feel.'

We're standing onstage, in the centre of the arena. Intellectually I know that we're just two of over a hundred, but it feels like the eyes of all the world are looking at us. And they are, in more ways than one – but not _just_ Cardin and I.

We're standing, facing in towards the centre; the four schools, each in its own quadrant, grouped by team and lined up in neat rows. Yang and I managed to stand on the far ends of our respective teams, side by side; now I slip my hand into hers, just for a moment, squeeze her fingers, and let go.

She twitches and shoots me a sideways look. 'Your fingers are freezing.'

I let out a snort of laughter before I can stop myself, and Cardin nudges me sharply from the other side as the music dies down.

Ozpin steps up to the podium that has been erected in the very centre of the arena. He looks grave, even for Ozpin, and I wonder for a moment if it's just the fatigue of the tournament or whether something more serious has gotten to him. Stripped of political power, with the world discussing him and not even having the courtesy to do it behind his back – why would they when twenty-four hour news channels exist now? For a moment I feel a surge of real sympathy for the dude. Then I realise I'm feeling sorry for a teacher and I stuff my traitor sense of empathy back into its closet.

'Ladies, gentlemen, Huntsmen- and Huntresses-to-be. Welcome.' He's not raising his voice or playing to the crowd, and I can imagine Goodwitch grimacing as Ozpin ignores all her carefully worded _suggestions_ as to how he should animate his opening speech, but the words have the unmistakeable ring of sincerity. I don't know if the blonde harpy did tell Ozpin how to act, but if she did, then he's right to ignore it.

'We are gathered here today to begin the process that will identify one among you as the best fighter here, but we will do more than that. We will test out skills, we will reaffirm ties between nations, and ultimately we will share a journey.'

Across from me I see the green-haired girl who's befriended RWBY roll her eyes at her partner, the grey-haired kid who went toe-to-toe with Pyrrha in training, a cynical little smirk on her face. Part of me gets where she's coming from; it's hard to take speeches like this at face value when a tiny bit of your brain is thinking, _Just say FINISH HIM and get it over with_.

'At the end of this journey lies understanding, acceptance, and, I believe, a very shiny trophy.' That takes the audience by surprise and they respond with peals of laughter. Ozpin smiles. 'And to the victor go the spoils. May the best fighter win the trophy, but may nobody come away empty-handed. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the tournament.'

The audience applauds, and somewhere, someone among the students begins to cheer. The rest of us join in before we realise what we're doing.

'This is going to be so great!' Ruby squeals.

'Wonder what they'll do if the last two students belong to the same school,' I say to Yang thoughtfully.

'Can't you stop thinking for five minutes?' Yang exclaims. 'Cheer! Be happy!'

'I'm happy,' I say mildly as all the students leave. 'Look at me. Don't I look happy?'

'You look tired,' Weiss says, dropping in on Yang's other side like an omen of doom.

'Is your Semblance ruining moments, Schnee?' I ask. 'Do you have a glyph for that?'

'No fighting,' Cardin orders. Weiss opens her mouth and Ruby, on her other side, elbows her.

'Hey, what's wrong?' Yang asks, startled.

I sigh. 'Ironwood wants me to be on call during the tournament.'

'On call?' Weiss repeats. 'What on earth does that mean?'

'His Semblance,' Sky explains. 'Ironwood wants him to agree to use his Semblance if anyone gets hurt.'

'That sounds like a good idea,' Yang says, looking confused. 'What's wrong with that?'

I shrug moodily. The more I try and explain it, the less convincing it sounds, and the more I doubt myself. 'I just – I don't want to. These are all people I don't know, and they just casually want me to use my Semblance on them?'

'Why didn't you say no when he asked you, then?' Blake asks. She more than anyone can understand me; she knows precisely how close to the soul my Semblance works.

I snort. 'Oh… _Ironwood_ wasn't actually the one to ask me…'

* * *

The sun is setting. The light comes in through Ozpin's windows but somehow it isn't blinding. It's simply – relaxing. Peaceful.

Goodwitch and Ozpin are most definitely not.

'Thank you for coming, Mr Thrush,' Ozpin says courteously. 'Won't you sit down?'

'Alright,' I say, openly suspicious. Goodwitch rolls her eyes, but Ozpin smiles slightly.

'You aren't in trouble, Mr Thrush.'

I stay silent this time.

'Actually, I called you here to ask a favour of you on behalf of General Ironwood.'

I blink.

'I was not aware of your Semblance upon your enrolment in my school, Mr Thrush,' Ozpin says, steepling his hands at me. 'If I had been, I may have asked you this a long time ago. Or perhaps not – we have been somewhat blessed recently in that nobody has been very badly injured.'

'But now you've got a tournament with lots of weapons, fighters, and _cameras_ ,' I say, catching on.

Ozpin nods gravely. 'Upon becoming aware of your Semblance, the general asked me to offer you a temporary position during the tournament. Essentially it would require you to be available to heal any combatants who are seriously injured. This would, of course, only be required during the fights. Your free time would be your own.'

'So I'd have to hang around the arena,' I say.

'Correct.'

'And I have to – what, get first aid training?'

'I don't think that's necessary. Do you?' Ozpin's voice was _very_ dry. He leaned back slightly. 'I should mention that this would be a paid position.'

I can't tell if I'm offended or amused. 'I'm listening.'

He spreads his hands. 'You would be acting as a medic; you would draw a medic's pay for the duration.'

I decide to settle into offended. He has to have guessed that I don't have a lot of money – he _knows_ , in fact, he was the one who offered me the scholarship! – and holding it over my head like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 'What would you do if I said no?'

Ozpin shrugs at me. 'Nothing at all. It is your choice, but I believe that I understand your character, Mr Thrush. I think, that if one of our contestants really _was_ badly injured, and you were available, that you would use your Semblance to help them. All I am trying to do is make sure that you are available, and to compensate you for your lost freedom.'

When he put it like that it seemed a lot less mercenary. On the other hand… 'I'm not keen, to be honest.'

Goodwitch sighs and rolls her eyes. 'Of course not.'

Ozpin holds up a hand. 'May I ask why?' he says delicately, his eyes boring into mine.

'Because if I can't choose my Semblance then I can choose who I use it on,' I say, getting to my feet. 'And honestly, this seems like way too much effort. Later.'

* * *

I can tell that Ruby, listening, is struggling really hard not to be judgmental. 'Ok,' she says. 'But I guess you changed your mind?'

I sigh. 'You can go ahead and point out what a dick I was being. Cardin sure as hell did...'

* * *

'You realise you're being a massive dick, right?' Cardin demands, crossing his arms.

I am really, really regretting telling Cardin the truth about why Ozpin summoned me. I should have just said I hit on Goodwitch and was getting disciplined for it, or I pushed Yatsuhashi off the cliffs or something. 'Dude, I seriously do _not_ want to have this conversation!'

'Tough shit!' Cardin snaps. 'Russel, the hell did you become a Huntsman for if not to help people?'

'I became a Huntsman because I wanted to be able to _make my own decisions_ ,' I snarl back.

'Yeah, well… you're making a bad one!'

'Oh boy,' Dove says under his breath in the corner. Sky kicks him, but Cardin and I both turn on him.

'Dove,' I say with elaborate courtesy, 'Did you have something you'd care to contribute to this discussion?'

'Maybe the actual definition of "discussion",' he says, 'Because I don't think that you know it.'

'Fuck off, Dove!' Cardin orders.

He sits up straight. 'I think not. If you two want to have a screaming match you can do it where nobody will hear you. I think starting one in the dorm room gives me a pretty vested damn interest in participating. And as it happens, I tend to think you're _both_ being dicks about it!'

We stare at him, open-mouthed. 'Excuse you?' I manage to get out.

'Seriously, you're both arguing without even knowing what you're arguing about!' Dove threw his hands up in the air. 'Russel, you're mad because people are telling you what to do, and Cardin, you're pissy because Russel isn't bowing to your fearless leader authority, right?'

'Right,' Cardin says grudgingly.

'Wrong!' Dove announces. 'Cardin, you're freaking out because you think Russel is backsliding into his "it's me against the world, I'm so tortured and lonely and angsty and I have nobody to love" bullshit. And Russel, let's be honest, you have kind of a block in regards to your Semblance, and getting angry is your default line of defence.' He folds his arms. 'Am I right?'

'You're right,' Sky murmurs, watching our faces.

Dove spreads his hands. 'So there. You can either talk about the problem, or you can scream in circles some more. Your choice.'

I begin pacing, staring at the ground, concentrating on my movements so that I don't have a chance to think about what I'm actually saying. I've been hiding – hiding from – my Semblance for so long that, unfortunately, I need to short-circuit my brain before I can discuss it. 'Whether I use my Semblance or not is _my choice_ , Dove!'

'Dude, nobody is making you do anything! You can whine about Ozpin forcing you as much as you like, but all he's really doing is offering to compensate you for your conscience,' Dove continues. 'And Cardin, seriously, you need to get that not everyone is exactly like you. I know intellectually that you do, but you need to work on getting that through to your emotions, too. You need to learn to read people as they are, not as you expect them to be.'

Ooh, sick burn. 'Lay off,' I snap. 'He's working on it.'

'I know,' Dove says. 'That's why I haven't mentioned it before.'

'Look, it's not just that, alright? My Semblance is really – intimate. I could have banged Blake and I wouldn't have gotten to know her as well as I did when I healed her. I don't really want to do that to strangers.'

'That might have been the exception to the rule,' Sky says. 'How often have you actually used your Semblance? For injuries that severe? When you were already on the edge of exhaustion?'

I don't even have to think about that. 'Never.'

Sky spreads his hands. 'There you are. They may be strangers, but I don't think you'll have to heal them of a bomb to the face, surely.'

'You hope,' I say darkly.

'Look, you need to build a bridge and get over it,' Dove says brutally. 'Cardin is getting better at not being a dick because he's trying. You need to do the same.'

'That's enough,' Cardin orders.

'I don't think it is. Russel made you deal with your Semblance, right now we're just returning the favour. And I know it's given you grief, Russel, but seriously, your Semblance isn't going anywhere. It won't change. You have to.'

I desperately want to tell him he's wrong, but I know that he's not. Reluctantly, I seat myself on my bed, facing him. 'What d'you recommend, then?' I know I sound surly but I can't help it.

'That you be realistic. I mean, come on! If a contestant gets hurt are you seriously just planning on chilling out and taking bets on how it long it takes them to exsanguinate?'

It's hard to argue that.

Ten minutes later, I enter Ozpin's office with only a cursory knock. I want to get this over with before I run out of courage. 'I'll do it,' I say grudgingly as he looks up.

'Wonderful,' he says, as if our previous conversation was never interrupted.

'What do I actually have to do?'

'Be present at every match. Be prepared to use your Semblance on injured contestants.' He leans back. 'Thank you, Russel. Really.'

I grumble something and leave his office.

And I was so excited to see the fights, too. Now I'm just hoping they'll be as soft as white bread.

* * *

'So, yeah…' I finish. 'You're looking at your new medic.'

'We're doomed,' Weiss declares.

'I'm kind of sad I missed that,' Yang admits, shooting Dove an admiring look. 'He owned you both.'

'He took us by surprise,' I say with serious dignity.

'I owned them,' Dove says confidently.

'Fuck off,' I mutter.

The others drift ahead, allowing Yang and I to fall back. 'Are you ok, though?' she asks, turning to me.

'I may have – _issues_ about my Semblance,' I admit. 'But I guess I'm technically working through them? Whatever. It's done, so does it matter?'

'It does to me,' Yang says firmly.

I grin at her and lean in to kiss her, then lurch as someone bumps us from behind.

'I am so sorry! Wait – Yang?' an amused voice says.

Yang disengages and turns to look behind us. 'Hi, Emerald!'

The green-haired girl who smirked in Ozpin's speech is standing there with her grey-haired friend. 'Hi Yang. I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going.'

Yang waves the apology away. 'Don't worry about it.'

'Hi,' the girl says, beaming and holding her hand out. 'I'm Emerald, and this is Mercury.'

'Sup,' I say, shaking her hand reluctantly.

'This is Russel,' Yang says.

'Of course!' Emerald says. 'I think I heard your name when you fought Pyrrh Nikos. That was you and your team, wasn't it?'

'Yeah. Your friend did a better job than we did,' I say, to be social. Though of course _he_ hadn't gone in there with Pyrrha desperate for his blood…

'I have a feeling you wore her down more than you realised,' Mercury says. He has his hands tucked in his pocket, and it takes me a second to realise he isn't going to shake my hand too. It's a real relief, but it does mean that I stand there with my hand out like an idiot for a moment.

'Well, we won't keep you,' Emerald says. 'We'll see you around!'

'Yep,' I say, trying to sound civil. 'Definitely. See you later.'

* * *

The first round of matches are pre-assigned. Yang's team is at midday on the second day. I don't wait with her in the staging area, but I can see it from where I'm sitting with my team, and it seems like they're all confident as Port and Oobleck summons them to the centre of the arena. They're facing a team from Haven who seems to specialise is short- and medium-range combat. Their leader is a stocky blond with attitude, the other female is a green-haired chick whose weapon seems to _run_ on sass, and the two boys appear to be polar opposites: one is all swagger and the other is a total pussy. They don't look like they have the same long-range capability that Ruby's scythe, Yang's gloves, Weiss' glyphs and Blake's ribbon gives team RWBY, though the timid-looking one does have a gun.

The fight starts off with a real bang. The blond leader makes a lunge for Ruby, who scythe-shots out of range, and Yang charges in to engage instead. From there, Blake darts to the side to do what she does, but the green-haired hoverboarder follows hot on her tail to make sure she can't do her disappearing act. I quietly approve: Blake has the best mobility apart from Ruby, and since Ruby hasn't displayed her speed yet, green-hair – Chloris – has made the right choice in who to follow.

Chloris seems to know what she's doing, one bad slip aside. I admire her competency with such an odd weapon for all of three minutes, then she lets her confidence lead her right into Blake's trap, and I can't help but feel bad for laughing about it. I mean, what a way to go.

'How long has Weiss been able to do that?' Dove murmurs as Weiss pulls some new Semblance bullshit to toss the two males around like snowflakes in a blizzard.

'I think it's just a new application of her existing powers, but I really would not like to fight her,' Sky says. 'Not without drugging her first.'

Yang has fully claimed the leader's attention, and I watch them trade super-powered punches. Granted, Yang's footing on the ice needs some work, but still – _damn._

'Is there anything hotter than two blonde girls trying to beat each other unconscious?' I ask Cardin philosophically. He nods vaguely, then we all fall silent as, with all their powers combined, RWBY unleashes a combo attack that lets Yang knock out the remaining three contestants in one powerful strike.

'That,' Cardin says finally. 'That was pretty hot.'

'That's my girlfriend,' I tell him proudly.

'Dude. It's a good thing you heal,' Dove says, total awe in his voice.

I want to go and congratulate Yang but there's another fight after hers, and I have to stay and chaperone in case anyone gets injured beyond a mild concussion – which, incidentally, _nobody has so far._ Sky, Dove and Cardin disappeared for lunch during the second match; now, they return with snacks. Nobody wants to miss this fight.

The third match of the day is JNPR's turn.

'This,' I say, helping myself to some popcorn, 'should be good.'

* * *

 **It's lazy, I know, but I don't really want to have to transcribe every fight in season three, especially the earlier ones. I've opted to just reinterpret them somewhat instead. I also merged some of the earlier chapters to make them a little more consistent in terms of length, which is why false updates were going out.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

Pyrrha is the first one to make contact with team BRNZ, claiming Brawnz Ni as her opponent. Nora and Ren charge towards Norlan Porfirio, as Roy Stallion charges Jaune. May Zedong is running the opposite way, though, and as we watch, she swings herself into the trees and then starts taking shots at them. These people are all older than me and were a few years above me at Recluse, so I only recognise them by sight, but it looks like they're good.

'Oh, shit,' Dove says with glee. 'A sniper. That'll hurt.'

It does. The sniper is sending their entire team into disarray. Funnily enough, _we_ would actually do quite well against a sniper, I think. The gun Zedong is using is a modified Shestakula, a rifle that's been manufactured in Vacuo for years. It's specially designed to be lightweight, avoid over-heating and work in the desert without sand clogging it up, though she's added on a bladed stock and a longer barrel. Everyone trained with them back at Recluse; a lot of Hunters use them as backup weapons. There's no capacity for Dust that I can see - Dust isn't as available in Vacuo, which is why I was able to get my blades so cheap - so really, it wouldn't be much of a problem for CRDL. After all, Cardin, Dove and Sky all wear plate armour – which of course channels their Semblance – so if they managed to avoid any headshots and I sort of just hung out behind them…

It's all academic anyway. However well we would do, Zedong has scattered JNPR like chaff. They're bobbing and weaving frantically, trying to confront the short-range members while at the same time facing a threat that they can't even see. As I watch, Ren skids to a halt to confront Porfirio, and the sniper takes the chance to put a bullet close enough to his face that _I_ flinch. Ren, badly distracted, has to flip out of the way, making him an easy target for Porfirio's electricity-charged baton.

'What is that?' Sky murmurs.

'Looks like a modified police baton to me,' I say. 'Those are _very_ popular in Vacuo, you can get them cheap and easy on the black market and any idiot with a screwdriver can modify them for you until they aren't street-legal anymore.'

'You've _heard_ , right?' Cardin asks, giving me a raised eyebrow.

'Sure, let's go with that.'

Personally I always found the modified batons to be badly balanced, but this doesn't seem to phase Porfirio. He topples Ren in one good shot, and Nora, enraged, charges. Porfirio dodges her neatly, and she catches his weapon right in the midriff. It… does not seem to be affecting her. Like, at all. That's weird. I've seen those things send people flying.

'Haha!' Sky bursts out laughing. 'Oh, man, he is _so_ dead.'

'Uh, do you mean she?' Dove asks, turning in his seat to stare at Sky.

Still grinning like the cat that got the canary and all its family, Sky opens his mouth, but Port beats him to the punch. 'Oh ho, looks like one of my favourite students, Nora Valkyrie, is charging up to use her Semblance!'

I don't actually know Nora's Semblance, I realise. Asking isn't something you do in polite society, but there are ways and means of letting people know if you want to. We had to tell the judges what our Semblances were before we entered the competition, though, for obvious reasons: after all, they would want to know whether our Semblance was something like the generation of constructs created from the matrix of any available elements as opposed to a contestant just simply having been encased in ice, for example. One led to a kick-ass fight. The other led to hypothermia.

'Yes,' Oobleck says excitedly, 'Miss Valkyrie's Semblance lets her produce as well as channel electrical energy straight to her muscles. This allows her to jump explosively into the air, wield her mighty hammer, or in this case, absorb Nolan's attacks and send the young man flying.'

The dude who has just buffed Nora to the max has the completely appropriate reaction: a look of total horror and a desperate attempt to make space that is, ultimately, futile.

Jaune seizes the moment and directs Nora to the top of the mountain. 'What a convenient arena,' I comment. I'll give Jaune this, he can react to a situation quickly.

'How'd you know Nora's Semblance?' Cardin asks Sky.

He rolls his eyes. 'It's a really long and terrifying story. But it happened during the group assignment.'

Trying to imagine how on earth the ability to absorb electricity might have made itself apparent during the group assignment distracts me from the match, and I'm only recalled to it when I hear Ruby cheering for Jaune.

'Well he's certainly improved,' Weiss says grudgingly.

'Yeah, but he ain't got nothing on Pyrrha!' Yang says.

'Does anyone?' I ask her. Then I realise what I'm watching. 'Holy shit, did Ren just charge the sniper?' He's a lot braver than I am; I would be running in the opposite direction.

The match is increasing in tempo. Nora is at the top of the mountain now, Jaune has launched Pyrrha into the air to take a shot for her, and then Nora unleashes a full barrage. Six grenades form a heart, and for a moment I'm terribly afraid that I won't even get a chance to use my Semblance, because, well, healing doesn't do much for pink mist. But then the sniper jumps out of the smoke, coughing, and I can't help but feel relief. I want her team to lose, after all, not be wiped from existence.

'Sweet merciful god above,' Cardin breathes.

'How long has she been able to do that?' Dove exclaims. 'Sky, how long has she been able to do that?'

Sky shrugs. 'How would I know? As long as she's had the hammer, I assume.'

'And you didn't think to _warn_ us?'

Sky grins. 'If you're dumb enough to get into a fight with Nora, I refuse to obstruct natural selection.'

'Speaking of natural selection,' I say, pointing at the arena. JNPR has stopped to have a conference _in the middle of a fight._ I wait for the sniper to drop them all with headshots, but apparently the other team can't quite believe it either. Instead of launching the world's most well-deserved strategic barrage, the other team decides to draw attention to the massive, glaring weakness JNPR has just opened.

'What is he doing?' Cardin exclaims. 'Hammer them!'

'I take it all back,' Weiss announces.

'I can't believe I'm agreeing with Schnee,' I say.

For the next few moments, Jaune and the leader of the other team yell at each other, then Jaune just gives up. He says something to Nora, and with a look of unholy glee, Nora leaps, lands and sends BRNZ flying.

'And with that, it appears that Team JNPR wins by knockout. Literally! Can – someone go make sure they're ok?'

On cue, my scroll beeps.

* * *

I jog into the first-aid room to find a team of people who are intimidatingly competent. The medics have carried the members of team BRNZ out of the arena and have them laid out on four separate tables. Machines whose functions I can't even begin to guess are pointed at different parts of their anatomy, and all I can think is _I am not qualified for this._

'What are –' A medic begins, looking up. Then he takes a better look and his face loses some tension. 'Oh, you're the healer kid, right?'

Be rational, Russel. Ironwood would definitely have had to tell the medics if he wanted you to act as a healer. You could hardly have just exploded into the room, shoulder-charged them out of the way and started using your Semblance. You knew that. You _knew_ that people would have to be told. Chill. I'm the healer kid now. People have to know you're the healer kid. Healer kid. 'That's me,' I say. I try to think of what a medic would say. 'Ok, so… I have no idea what you want me to do.'

The medic actually grins. 'Take the worst hurt one, buddy.'

'Which is?' I demand, starting to think this jerkass is just enjoying messing with the new guy.

'The girl,' the medic says, turning back to his work. 'They've all got internal injuries, but she's got some additional damage to her vertebrae.'

I grimace and turn to her. She's unconscious, or sedated. I take a deep breath and press my hand to her collar bone.

I can feel the damage Nora has done to her as soon as I touch her, and I resolve to have a stern word with the red-headed terror about excessive use of force as soon as I get the chance (not that I think she'll listen, of course). Apparently this chick's Aura took more of a beating surviving the heart-attack than I noticed, because she is in terrible shape. Her spine is riddled with cracks, though thankfully it's still intact and the spinal cord hasn't snapped. I don't know what would happen if I took on an injury that couldn't be healed. In theory, I suppose I could dismiss it and it would disappear, but I don't want to find out. I can develop scars from injuries I treat with my Semblance; if I thought using it would cripple me, I would refuse flat-out.

I hate this. I really, really, really hate this. I bite down on my tongue and concentrate on what I'm doing. Her spine is shadowed to me, bright lines of fire running through it. I reach for the injuries with my Semblance, and my legs give way beneath me as I transfer her spinal damage to myself.

Definitely not my smartest moment.

I lie crumpled on the floor for a moment as I desperately suppress the damage of a broken back. The medics start towards me but I wave them off. I'm feeling nauseated, from fear and embarrassment.

'What are you doing?' a curious voice asks from above. I look up. Zedong is leaning over, staring down at me. She's wearing comfortable-looking clothes and a dopey-looking beanie that covers one eye.

'Oh – just hanging out,' I croak. 'You know, just casually.' I remember a medic is probably meant to be nice to their patients and I add, 'How do you feel?'

She sits up and stretches carefully. 'I feel – really great. Like, _really_ great. That was you, wasn't it?'

I mumble something and roll over to sit up so that I can check my scroll. Aura is in the green. 'That worked well,' I murmur out loud.

'So it _was_ you.' Zedong reaches down and holds out her hand. I stare at it blankly for a moment then let her pull me to my feet. 'Well – thanks.'

'What sort of sniper wears a beanie over one eye?' I demand.

'What sort of healer falls on his ass?' she counters. 'What's your name?'

'Russel Thrush.'

'I'm May. May Zedong.' She gives me a solemn bow. 'Thank you, Russel Thrush.'

'No problem,' I mutter.

'Good work, kid,' the medic says. 'Want to take a look at the others?'

I grimace. 'No.'

The medic frowns. 'Seriously?'

I sigh. I agreed to this. I'm getting paid for this. 'No.' I wander over and grab Ni's forearm.

'That's Brawnz,' May volunteers. I ignore her and work on healing the dude's internal injuries. I also deal with the concussion, since I'm already there. Without losing focus, I swivel and grab Porfirio. His injuries are worse than Ni's – no surprise, he caught Nora's hammer to the face twice, after all.

The final member has internal injuries but no concussion. I've been blanking the entire room, and I don't let go of my concentration until I'm sure that I'm done. When I finish and turn around to leave, I almost walk straight into Ni.

He's holding his hand out. 'Thank you.'

This situation is seriously creeping me out. What would Cardin do? I shake his hand. 'Don't mention it.' Then I add, 'Seriously, please don't mention it.'

He looks confused. 'May told me your name is Russel?' He cocks his head. 'Don't - didn't you used to go to Recluse? I think I remember the hair.'

Most people do. 'Yeah.' I let go of his hand and start to sidle away. 'So… sucks about your fight.'

'We owe you a lot,' Brawnz says, apparently having decided to ignore me. There's gratitude for you.

'You really don't,' I mutter. Not unless they're the ones paying my wage.

'So your Semblance is healing?' Porfirio asks.

Ok, what would Dove do? No, bad idea; Dove is many things, but a role model is not one of them. What would _Sky_ do? 'Listen, I have to go,' I say. 'Sorry 'bout that. But I'll see you around.'

'Uh, sure,' Ni says, startled. 'Listen, thank you again!'

He has to call the last word after me; I've left the room with an indecent amount of haste.

* * *

'How'd it go?' Cardin asks as I sink back down next to him. Out of the corner of my eye I see Dove and Sky lean forwards slightly to hear.

'Fine.'

'So you healed them?'

'Mm-hmm.'

'What, you're going to make me beat it out of you?'

'Hey, I've answered your questions.' I glance at the Arena, where Sun Wukong is trying to avoid being skewered by Dew Gayl. 'So what did I miss?'

Cardin elbows me. 'Don't be a dick. You'll keep healing people?'

'Yes, I'll keep healing people,' I say irritably, jerking my arm free. 'Chill the fuck out, alright?' I hear Dove snort, but I choose to ignore him. 'I wish people wouldn't thank me for it, though.' For a moment I wonder who said that, then I realise it was me. The words came out without a chance for common sense to intervene.

'Well, you _are_ healing them of life-threatening injuries,' Cardin says. 'I think you might just have to deal with it.'

'Guess so.' I check out the fight again; Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias are busy electrocuting the majority of team NDGO. Before Oobleck and Port even have a chance to announce the fight is over, my scroll beeps. 'Oh, come on!'

* * *

I run into BRNZ at the entrance of the first-aid room, but this time they see the look on my face and get out of the way without even saying anything. Three members of NDGO are laid out on tables. They're all smoking very slightly. Octavia Ember is standing over them, chewing her fingernails nervously.

'I feel really, really bad about this,' I hear a familiar voice say.

Neptune is standing in the corner with the rest of his team. His teammate Scarlet is injured, I assume, since he's sitting down and sort of curled in on himself, but my focus is entirely on the other team.

'Ok, who's the worst hurt?' I ask in resignation. Octavia looks up at my voice and her eyes widen.

'What are you doing here?' the medic I dealt with earlier asks sharply, his head coming up.

I brandish my scroll at him. 'You called me.'

The medic is shaking his head. 'We got this one, kid. You're only on call for serious injuries.'

'Getting electrified isn't serious enough?' I ask, distracted for a moment.

'I didn't electrify them that much,' I hear Neptune mumble.

'We've got this one,' the medic repeats.

'Then who–'

'Uh, actually, that was me,' Sage Ayana says from the corner.

'What?' I trot over. ' _You_ called me?' I'm too confused to be pissed, but it's slowly brewing. I've never even spoken to this dude. I didn't even know this dude _could_ speak.

Sage seems gloriously oblivious. 'Yeah, can you help Scarlet? Sun gave us your number, he told us that you were acting as a healer for the tournament.'

I shelve my irritation for the moment; the red-head does seem to be in considerable pain. 'What happened to him?' I ask, reaching out to grab the dude's shoulder.

'Flaming coconuts to the groin.'

My hand freezes, inches from Scarlet. 'What.'

Sun takes over. 'See, I threw these coconuts at the blonde girl on the other team, but I think she infused them with fire Dust, and–'

That does sound like something Dew Gayl would do. Suddenly the way Scarlet is hunched over, knees clenched shut, makes sense. 'Are. You. Serious?' I say, unable to believe what I'm hearing. 'No!'

'Come on, Russel!' Sun pleads. 'You're a healer! He's injured!'

'I have to assume injuries before I can suppress them, asshole,' I exclaim, incredulous. 'And I'm not touching that injury with a ten-foot pole!'

Scarlet looks up. His face is deathly pale. 'Please?'

'It reduced his Aura to below critical,' Sun says. 'You can't leave him like that!'

'You are _seriously_ not selling this to me,' I say.

'But you _are_ a healer,' Sage Ayana says.

'I agreed to use my Semblance to heal _serious_ injuries,' I tell them, starting to get pissed all over again. 'And while we're on the topic, luring me here was a real dick-move, Ayana!'

'I didn't lure you here!' Sage protests. 'You probably just didn't read your scroll properly.'

The irritating thing is, he's right.

I make the mistake of looking at Scarlet again. He's staring at me with big, pained eyes. He looks like a puppy that's been kicked. In the groin.

I let out a heartfelt groan. 'I'll only do it if you all agree to never bring this up again.'

'Deal!' Sun says.

'Get me a chair,' I grit out.

A chair is produced and I seat myself gingerly. 'This is gonna suck,' I sigh. Scarlet nods pained agreement.

I grab his shoulder and for a moment my throat locks. I suppress the damage faster than I have suppressed anything in my life, and seconds later, I can stand up, though my eyes are still watering from remembered pain. 'I hate you. So much,' I say to Sun.

Scarlet stands up cautiously, then steps forward and hugs me. 'Thank you!'

'Get off,' I grumble, thrusting him away. 'Don't make this any gayer than it already is.'

I am seriously going to quit.

That business done, I walk over to Octavia. 'Hi, Octavia.'

'Hi, Russel.' She eyes me cautiously. 'I forgot you go here.'

I had forgotten how much I liked talking to Octavia. She was always smart enough to known when not to ask questions. I glance at the tables. 'So they put you with Gayl, huh?'

'We get on a lot better now,' she says, completely unconvincingly.

'Bullshit,' I say bluntly. 'Gayl doesn't get along well with anyone.'

Octavia grins. 'Oh, it's good to see you.' She steps forward and hugs me.

I would not normally allow myself to be hugged. Now, I wrap my arms around Octavia and hug her right back. 'You doing ok?' she whispers under her breath.

I nod. 'I'm good. The people here are good people.'

'Russel?' a new voice says. I look up to see Yang and Blake, standing there with odd looks on their faces. Yang is the one who has spoken, and as I watch, her eyes flicker red.

Realising I'm still holding Octavia, I hastily let her go. 'Yang! Yang, this is Octavia Ember. We went to school together for a few years.' I take a deep breath. 'She was one of Violet's friends.'

Octavia doesn't let me down: she steps forward and holds out her hand for Yang to shake. 'It's nice to meet you,' she says. 'Are you on Russel's team?'

'No,' Yang says flatly.

Octavia registers that, and turns to look at me. 'I see,' she says, her voice suddenly cold. I stare at her without blinking, and after a moment she turns away. 'So will you help the others?' she demands, still icy. 'Since you seem able to do that now?'

My lips tighten. 'I've always been able to heal, Octavia. That's my Semblance.'

She wheels around. 'What?!'

There are actual tears in her eyes, but I don't register them until Blake steps forward. 'Russel!'

I get a hold of myself. 'I can - only heal if I reach someone before the injuries kill them,' I tell Octavia in a low voice. 'If I'm - too late... I can't bring people back to life.'

'Just help them,' Octavia says coldly. 'Or is it too late for them too?'

'Hey, why don't you chill out!' Yang says angrily.

'Forget it,' I tell her in a low voice. I step forward and grab Nebula Violette's forearm. I shouldn't be doing this - my team's first match is tomorrow - but I feel bad. Like, I feel genuinely terrible. Octavia was always nice to Violet. Nebula was a pushy nerd, and Dew Gayl and Gwen Darcy were far too aware of their own social status to talk to a Faunus, but Octavia - Octavia was Violet's friend.

'Russel Thrush?' Gayl says, sitting up and staring at me. 'What on earth?'

'Well, well, well. Look who got hot,' I say mockingly. That's a lie - Gayl was always a babe - but I never was able to resist stirring her. I turn around before she has a chance to respond. 'Octavia, I'm sorry.'

Octavia hastily wipes her eyes and nods. 'Me too.' She hugs me again, briefly. 'It's good to see you, Russel. I'm glad you're happy.' She manages a shaky smile at the end of that sentence, and even manages to include Yang in it.

'So what are you doing here?' I ask Yang and Blake, my tone making it clear that I don't want to discuss what just happened. Yang slips her hand into mine. I wrap my fingers around hers, seeking comfort from their warmth.

'We wanted to congratulate Sun and his team,' Blake tells me.

'Well, you can see where they are,' I say, walking out.

Yang sheds Blake and falls into place beside me. 'How'd it go?'

Why does everyone keep asking me that?

'Russ? You ok?' she prods.

'I hate my life,' I say before I've realised what I've said.

Ok, maybe that's why.

Yang shoots me a concerned look. 'Look, I know that girl got kinda upset, but-'

I stop dead. 'I just got tricked into healing the dude who got two nuts to the nuts!'

Yang forgets to be concerned about me and just starts to laugh.

'I didn't _trick_ you, I _asked_ you,' Sage says angrily from behind me.

'I thought we weren't meant to talk about it,' Scarlet says at the same time.

'You can both stay out of this!' I snap. 'I swear to god, next time _anyone_ asks me to heal them, I'm pushing them off a cliff!'

There's a moment of silence, then Blake asks, 'Feeling better?' She sounds deeply amused.

I heave a sigh. 'Much. Are the stalls still open? I'm starving.'

'Hey, let's grab dinner,' Sun suggests. 'My treat.'

Yang's scroll beeps. 'Hey, I think I have to go,' she says, checking the message. 'Ruby wants to tell me something.'

'Later,' I tell her. I'm not passing up a free meal. Not when I've earned it to this extent.

Besides, CRDL has its first match tomorrow. We're the last team to fight before the doubles start, which means everyone will be watching.

'Russel!' Nebula calls from behind me. 'Russel Thrush!'

I quicken my pace, so Nebula actually starts to run after me. 'Russel!' She seizes my arm and swings me around.

'What?' I snap.

'You haven't fought in the tournament yet. Meaning that your team is fighting tomorrow. You're the last team to fight before the doubles round.' Nebula rattles the facts off like she always does, but her eyes are steady and solemn.

'I _know_ ,' I say impatiently.

'You're fighting Team QRZS.'

'She has a point. I swear she probably has a point,' I tell Blake as condescendingly as possible. 'She'll make it, soon, I'm sure.'

'The leader of QRZS is Onyx Quarry. He went to Atlas Academy when he graduated from Recluse.'

I open my mouth to say something snarky and pause. 'Thank you,' I say instead.

Nebula gives me a brisk nod. 'You healed my team. We're square.'

I nod back, and keep walking. That is the sort of gratitude I can deal with: the useful type.

'What was all that about?' Blake asks, startled. Team SSSN is staring at me like I'm a Grimm. They probably think I'm some sort of madman, considering the moodswings they've seen this far.

'Remember what a dick Cardin used to be?' I ask bleakly.

Blake nods.

'Imagine that, but ten times worse.' I smile and there is no joy or humour in it at all. 'That's the guy who's leading QRZS. We've crossed paths before.'

And to think I thought things could hardly get worse.

I do so hate being wrong.

* * *

 **Thanks to my beta, zetashark, for proofreading this chapter. The background info on Norlan and May's weapons are all their idea. Since they also suggested that May's rifle have a Russian-sounding name, I give you the Shestakula, or, zetashark!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

 **I know nobody really wanted to read a made-up fight (I didn't even really want to write the made-up fight) but it had to happen, so let's all just grin and bear it. I also know that Cinder's scroll shows Sky and Russel as a team before the first doubles match, so consider this artistic license.**

Because we were the last fight on the list and the previous matches ran long, we're the first fight the next day.

It's really impossible to predict how long a fight will last. It depends on the teams. For example, if May Zedong had managed to dictate the terms of that engagement, that match could have lasted for hours: she could have pinned JNPR down while JNPR kept the close-range combatants of BRNZ at bay with their own firepower. No combat, no Aura damage, no real match.

Our opponents, on the other hand, seed pretty convinced that our match would be short.

'So you guys are ready for the emotional damage when you lose, right?' one of the girls asks as they approach us.

'They're so subtle,' Dove says. 'I think they're trying to psych us out, but I just can't be sure.'

We're fighting a team from Mistral, team QRZS. Sky had gotten a look at them in the marketplace, and while it essentially boiled down to 'fucked if I know' he had managed to get a little bit of data. Once I knew that Onyx Quarry had moved to Mistral and joined Haven, I managed to provide a lot more.

There were two boys and two girls: Onyx Quarry, Rose Kutt, Zircon Lattice, and Saffron Spinelle. Quarry fights with weighted chains, Lattice carries two hook swords, Kutt has a harpoon gun that doubles as a spear, and Spinelle doesn't seem to have any weapons at all on her. That makes me very, very wary of her.

'Welcome to the final match of the four-by-four rounds!' Port says overhead, his voice booming around the Arena. 'Team QRZS of Haven Academy and Team CRDL of Beacon will face off to determine the final pairing for the two-by-two round, and I can tell you, this will be one close match.'

'Maybe not as close as the old man thinks, huh?' Kutt asks, smirking.

'How much trouble would I be in with you guys if I told her to get back in the kitchen?' Dove asks.

'Dove!' Sky says, shocked.

'Ok, never mind.'

Normally I would be showing Kutt what quality snark sounds like, but I'm too busy watching Onyx Quarry. He's tall, black-haired, wearing a black long-coat and black leather armour that looks like high-class motorcycling leathers. I suppose he's trying to look edgy, but honestly, he looks too neat and tidy. Even his shaggy hair is clearly shaggy by design. Dusk and Dawn, the chains wrapped around his arms are so shiny that they look like they're jewellery more than anything.

I suppose he's handsome, objectively speaking. Personally I can't get past how dead his eyes are.

Quarry was famous at Recluse. Or maybe famous isn't the right word for it. Everyone knew who he was, everyone knew what he looked like, everyone knew what he was like. Is that fame? Maybe, but in his case it was born of fear.

I told Blake that Quarry was like the old Cardin, but worse. I lied. Cardin never looked at someone in terms of how much pain he could get out of them before they broke. Cardin never picked fights so that he could hurt people – ok, he kind of did, but it was still fundamentally different. Cardin bullied for power.

Quarry caused pain for fun.

He followed politics, because politics always told him who was a safe target. He spent his time at Recluse bullying Faunus kids because generally speaking, nobody cared. He drove at least one to suicide. I heard that he smiled when they told him, too. That might have just been a rumour, but it says something about the guy that nobody could really be sure it wasn't true.

He and I crossed paths fairly early, and by crossed paths I mean I broke a tray across his face when he had a go at Violet at lunch one day. It was completely out of proportion for what he had actually said, but I wanted to make my position clear. It got me suspended for a month and put in counselling for a year, and it didn't exactly help my (already pretty crappy) reputation, but it passed along the message: if he crossed me I was ready to destroy myself as long as I took him down with me.

I think he would have done something more, but he never got the chance. We were in different years, and every time we were in the same room as one another, people would watch us like vultures, waiting for the fight to break out. I never let him get close to me, either. I was dumb, not suicidal.

His teammates seem more sane, though that's a damn low bar. Zircon Lattice is wearing a sleeveless crimson vest and dark grey pants. His hair is pink, slicked back into a pony-tail and it's tied with a red ribbon. His swords have a pink hilt and pink ribbons tied to them. I'll give him credit for sticking with a theme but it doesn't necessarily make him look threatening. The girls are both dark-haired, but Kutt is tall and muscular, and Spinelle is small and meek-looking. Kutt is wearing a sleeveless top, short shorts and high boots. She has a long dark plait. Spinelle is wearing a patterned wrap-around dress, tied in the middle with a wide sash, and her hair is tied up in a neat bun. She's standing with her eyes on the ground, like a parody of a demure housewife, but I don't doubt for a second that she's seeing every damn move we make.

'Russel, you take Lattice,' Cardin says calmly. We've discussed this, but with the adrenaline humming through our veins a reminder is not a bad idea. 'Sky, take Kutt, Dove, take Spinelle. I'll take care of their heroic leader here.'

'It's cute that you think you'll last long enough to take any of us,' Kutt says.

'God, does she ever stop talking?' Dove asks.

'Nah. If she did, her brain might implode. I'm pretty sure the airflow through her mouth is the only thing keeping her skull inflated,' I say.

Quarry finally speaks. 'Russel Thrush. Still fucking Faunus?' he asks.

Cardin, Dove and Sky bristle, but I gave them a heads up the moment I knew what we'd be facing. If I hadn't had Nebula's warning myself, he might have actually struck a chord. As it is, I laugh in his face. 'Still can't find anyone to fuck?'

The biomes are rising up around us. We have the mountain biome, as well as a new one: it looks like – a city. A ruined city. I have to shake away memories of Mountain Glenn.

'This looks like Mountain Glenn,' Dove comments.

'I think every ruined city looks alike,' Sky says, glancing around. 'Though it's possible the designers actually did visit cities ravaged by Grimm for realism's sake. I can look it up later if you want.'

'Nerd,' Kutt sneers. Sky ignores her; it's not like she's wrong, after all.

'We should try and electrocute her,' Dove tells me. 'I bet I could shoot a bullet through the lightning, or something.'

'Dude, you're overthinking this,' I tell him. 'I have Dust. Why do I need you and your fancy bullets to electrocute her?'

'Come on, I want to see if it will work! Please?'

'That's enough,' Cardin says firmly. 'I've already allocated opponents. Sky gets to electrocute her.'

We all laugh at that, and the corner of Quarry's eye twitches. Lattice actually looks like he's trying to hide a smile, but Spinelle is staring at us like we're something she stepped in, and I wonder if Quarry maybe finally has found something to screw.

'Uh, don't hurt them too badly, though,' I say, suddenly struck by realisation. 'I'd hate for them to need to be patched up. Seriously, I would actually hate that. Like, with every fibre of my being.'

'You smug bastard-' Kutt actually starts towards me before she catches herself.

Sky groans. 'Oh, come _on_ -'

'Rus _sel_ ,' Dove begins, whining like a small child.

'I'm serious!' I say insistently. 'Come on, guys, all I'm asking for is no life-threatening injuries, yeah? It's just a little bit of self-restraint; I'm pretty sure it won't kill you.'

'Fine,' Cardin sighs. 'You heard him, guys. Don't overdo things. I'm looking at you, Dove!'

'How is us needing to be patched up any better?' Dove complains.

'Well, it probably won't make me want to throw up my internal organs out of sheer loathing,' I say.

'You make a persuasive argument,' Dove grimaces, 'And now I cannot think of anything else. Well done!'

'Three –'

'Heard your Faunus died,' Quarry says suddenly. His face is smooth but his eyes are vicious.

'It happens,' I say, not even blinking.

'Two –'

'Heard you have a new one.' He smiles. 'How long 'til the same thing happens to her? After all, if you're with her, her life expectancy isn't great.'

That slimy motherfucker.

'One!' Port booms, and the other team explodes into action.

I'm taken off guard, stupid enough to listen to Quarry and let him get to me. He's fast as lightning with his chain. It would have taken me square in the face but Cardin lunges to the side and knocks me out of the way. The chain hits his armour, sending him flying backwards, but he lands on his feet and looks up, rage in his eyes.

That's nothing compared to how I feel. He threatened Yang. He. Threatened. Yang. Intellectually I know that Yang can take care of herself better than I can, but emotionally he just ran a grater across a raw nerve.

I charge him.

He's got both chains out, whirling close to his body so fast that they're solid circles. As I charge, he twitches his shoulder and Dusk comes straight at my face. I flip over it, but he twitches again and it whips up into the air, catching me in the chest and sending me flying. At the same time, Dawn is sent at Cardin, who rolls to avoid it.

We're working at a disadvantage, here. We discussed it, and Cardin and Dove decided that they couldn't use their Semblances. Cardin hasn't been able to achieve the same perfection of control that he managed in the mountain, so there's a real chance that he would panic the crowd. Likewise, the barrier that is protecting the crowd from projectiles and fallout doesn't block sound, and if Dove screamed at anyone, the blasts would carry before they lost force – right into the unprotected audience. Since I don't imagine I'll get the chance to heal anyone, Sky is really the only one who is able to use his Semblance.

I can't wait until we graduate and don't have to worry about collateral damage. It will be really, really liberating.

I'm focused on Quarry, but not so focused that I don't notice when Kutt lunges at me. I leap back, but her weapon fires and suddenly there's a harpoon coming at me. I duck down low and it goes over my head, then I lunge up and slash at her. She blocks me with the body of her weapon, but she's got her eyes on my blades, and doesn't react in time when I kick her in the stomach, sending her flying.

Sky has picked up the slack and is matching blades with Lattice. Dove is staring around the Arena, and his face is weirdly slack as Spinelle paces towards him, taking her own damn time.

'Oh, it looks like Saffron Spinelle has activated her Semblance!' Port tells the crowd.

Oh god. This cannot be good.

'Yes, Miss Spinelle's Semblance is the ability to distract and disorient her opponents if they get close enough to her, and it looks like Dove Bronzewing has been caught!' Oobleck agrees.

Why doesn't being right make me feel better?

Cardin and Sky are busy and they don't have the mobility needed to reach him. Kutt is between me and Dove; I charge her, then launch into the same triple-somersault I used on Pyrrha. Kutt doesn't have a shield, but she tries to block me with her weapon anyway. It doesn't help her: she's a tall girl, but I still out-mass her. She goes flying.

Spinelle suddenly jerks her arm, and spinning metal throwing-stars appear in the air, slicing towards Dove. I'm not going to make it –

But Sky has got Dove's back. He spins Alouette, forcing Lattice to leap back, then in the same move Sky whirls around, plants Alouette's blade and fires. Alouette sings, and the disks of metal all get knocked off course.

Lattice seizes his moment and slashes in an odd figure-of-eight movement. Sky jerks backwards, but Lattice has released his grip on the hilt of the sword and instead seized the ribbon hanging from the hilt. It doubles his reach, effectively, and the blade hits Sky right across the face. Sky staggers, and from the corner of my eye I see his Aura level drop.

Spinelle turns as I get closer, and I brace for her Semblance to hit. But nothing happens.

Ok. A slow-burn Semblance, then? Dove is a cautious fighter; he would have held off to see if she would whip out a weapon. That might be why she's walking towards Dove so slowly: she's giving her Semblance time to work. If I move fast enough, I might be able to knock him out of her –

Something hits me in the side with crushing force, driving me into a rock. I fall to my knees, then let out a groan of agony as I'm struck twice more. I manage to throw myself into a backwards somersault, and Quarry's fourth strike hits the rock, sending splinters flying everywhere. My ribs are aching but I put it aside.

Cardin has been kept at a distance and he's trying to close with Quarry now, but while I'm being kept away Dove is essentially defenceless, and I can't reach him. If I can't get him away from Spinelle…

'Cardin!' I bellow, sliding the air Dust chamber from Polaris. I throw it into the middle of the Arena, and Cardin smashes it.

A blast of wind explodes in all directions, generating an enormous whirlwind, and I slam my daggers into the ground to anchor myself. CRDL discussed this manoeuvre during preparation for the tournament, and we all agreed we shouldn't use it. The only thing it would achieve is scooping me up like a leaf and making it impossible for my armoured (and therefore heavier) teammates to move. On the other hand, the people we're fighting are just as lightly-armoured and two of them weigh a lot less than I do. And really, at this point, it's more or less our only option.

It's the last thing they're expecting – because really, it's a fucking stupid idea – and Lattice, Kutt and Spinelle all get picked up by the whirlwind. Quarry staggers as the wind hits him, but as his feet starts to leave the ground he wraps Dawn around a rock. He glances around, makes his choice, and then whips Dusk out, grabbing Lattice by the ankle and hauling him back to the ground like Quarry is reeling in a fish.

Dove has been blown off his feet too, but the armour makes him too heavy for an undirected whirlwind to lift, and he bounces along the ground until he comes to a halt against a rock. I see him shake his head and look around, blinking himself back to life. Sky and Cardin are braced against the wind, but I manage to see Cardin give me a concerned look.

Suddenly a harpoon appears out of nowhere and slams into the ground. There's a length of rope attached to one end, and I follow it to see Kutt floating in the air, tethered to the tree. After a few more seconds, the whirlwind dies down and I can rise. A flicker of movement is my only warning, then Dove tackles me out of the way as Quarry's chains both hit the ground I was just clinging too.

'I think you made him mad,' Dove pants as we scramble to rejoin Cardin and Sky.

'Just look at all the fucks I give,' I respond.

From the corner of my eye I can see the scoreboard, and Spinelle's face is covered with a large red cross. She's out of the competition, but I would have hoped that a massive whirlwind would have had a little more effect on the opposing team.

Cardin and Sky are waiting for us in the middle of the Arena. For a moment, we catch our breath, watching as Kutt and Lattice move to stand with Quarry.

'We have them outnumbered,' Sky says optimistically.

'That means nothing!' Kutt spits.

Cardin smiles. 'Sure it does.' He meets Quarry's eyes. 'It means that even if you win, your team will still be remembered for losing a member to a group of first-years.'

Quarry's eye twitches again. 'Lattice,' he says, his voice surprisingly even. 'Now.'

I don't have a chance to wonder what he means, because Lattice springs into action immediately. He takes a step forwards and then there are five of him in front of us. And then there are fifteen. And then thirty. Rows of Lattices, filling the Arena. Port and Oobleck are babbling on overhead, but it's not hard to guess what they're saying.

'Come on!' I yell. 'Is there anyone in this Tournament who doesn't have the power to self-replicate?'

'They're just illusions!' Sky calls. 'I can hear the real one–'

He's cut off by a yelp as Quarry strikes Cardin down. Then Dove lets out a corresponding yell: Kutt shoots a harpoon at Dove, knocking him off his feet, and a moment later, all I can do is watch in horror as Dusk tangles around Dove's ankle and whips him into the air. Dove lets out a yell of shock and disappears beyond the mountain. A tone sounds and a red cross appears over Dove's face.

'Now who's got who outnumbered?' Kutt taunts.

'Nobody, you dumbass,' I snap. 'We're even.'

'Sky, deal with Lattice,' Cardin wheezes. 'Russel, guard Sky–' He lets out another yell as Quarry strikes him again. This time Quarry wraps Dawn around Cardin's arm, then lifts him into the sky and brings him back down with a loud crack, and I see Cardin's arm break.

'Cardin!' I yell, taking a step towards him.

'Oh no you don't!' Kutt yells, and charges me.

Behind me, Sky is firing at the real Lattice, able to hear him or maybe see him through the mass of illusion. With a real effort I put the illusory Lattices aside and focus on Kutt. She's enraged, but she's still a cunning fighter, feinting and firing to keep me off-balance. The thing is, though – she doesn't have Dust.

Training with Weiss has been good for me, though you'll have to force-feed me truth-serum before I'll ever admit it out loud. The white-haired little princess has had so much practice with Dust, she's a legitimate expert. Her knowledge of the best ways to incorporate it into her strikes is almost instinctual by now. She had to learn the hard way, of course, but I managed to crib it all off her. I will most likely never have as much Dust as she will, but I finally, finally know how to use it in my fighting style for best effect.

Kutt swings at me and I block with Polaris, then I prime Octantis' earth Dust and bring Octantis up in an overhand strike. She blocks me in turn, but the Dust activates. Rock blossoms over her weapon from the point of impact, trapping it to her hand. It throws her off balance, but she adjusts faster than I thought she would: in fact, almost straight away, she kicks me very hard in the chest and drives me back clear to Cardin.

'I really dislike her,' I tell him, rolling to my feet. 'Hold still.'

'No time,' Cardin grunts.

'Fuck off,' I snap, and seize his wrist. For a moment my arm throbs, then the injury is gone.

'What's this?' Oobleck says. 'Russel Thrush has just used his Semblance to restore Mr Winchester's Aura level!'

'Wait, what?' Cardin and I say at the same time.

There's a momentary lull in the Arena as we all stare at the scoreboard. It's true: I have just used my Semblance to restore Cardin's Aura level. The crowd is murmuring in confusion, not sure whether to cheer or boo. The remnants of QRZS are either staring at the board or staring at me, and even Sky is giving me a weird look.

'Huh,' I say finally.

'You're a healer, Thrush?' Quarry says softly. 'Well doesn't this make things fun?' He smiles. 'I wonder if I can do something not even you can fix.' His eyes flicker. 'Or did your Faunus beat me to it?' Despite myself, I catch my breath at the sudden stab of pain.

'Oh, I am done with your shit!' Cardin yells, taking a step forward.

'He's toying with us,' Sky growls.

'Who's us?' Cardin snorts.

'He's toying with you, then,' Sky snarls. 'He's wearing you down so he can actually damage you before he knocks you out.'

'Thanks for the vote of confidence,' Cardin says with some acerbity. 'It'd be easier to avoid the chains if I wasn't trying to ignore the legion of pink-wearing pricks who keep advancing on me!'

'I'm keeping the real one at bay,' Sky snaps, 'So if you can't disregard the others that's your own damn – jump!'

We both leap into the air, just as Lattice's sword passes under our feet. Sky doesn't jump; instead he swings Alouette, severing the ribbon.

The hundreds of Lattices all grin and pull out another sword from the sheath on their backs.

'This is insane,' Cardin snarls. 'We need to take out at least one of these guys. Sky, drive Lattice against a rock then mark where the real one is. Russel, get ready!'

I leap into the air. Sky fires several shots, then takes a moment to fire a shot that throw up a spray of earth and draws a long gouge in the ground, like an arrow pointing the way towards one Lattice that looks just like the others to me. Cardin swings Augusta Nave, and I launch myself off it.

I'm sure Lattice tries to dodge, but Sky pulls a leaf from Zedong's book and puts two bullets on either side of him, cutting off his options. I narrow in on the gouge, and for the second time I somersault, focusing all of my energy through my feet, striking his crossed blades with a huge amount of force. He stumbles back, and I land, and I try the same sweeping move that I tried on Kutt. He jumps over it, but then I continue the movement, turn a full circle, and bring my knee up into his groin with all the momentum I can.

This, too, is not enough to knock him into the red. But then I flip out of the way, and Sky shoots him full in the face, once, twice, three times, with a lack of mercy that surprises me until I remember that Sky's better half just got thrown over a mountain.

That is enough to knock Lattice's Aura into the red.

I turn back to the Arena in time to see Kutt catch Augusta Nave to the face. She wasn't expecting Cardin to be able to move so quickly, but training with Team RWBY has been good for more than one of us. After a few weeks of getting pounded by Ruby, Cardin had to improve his speed just to keep his ego intact, and it's paid off. He swings, putting all of his frustration into the strike, and he actually sends her flying. She hits the ground and doesn't get up; I'm not entirely convinced she's conscious.

With all of his team gone, Quarry stops playing. He wraps Dusk around Cardin's neck and uses Dawn to drive up a massive spray of shrapnel from the ground that forces me back. I let out a yell of rage and leap to avoid it, then leap again as the chain comes down where I was, driving a massive dent into the ground and chasing me further away from him.

In screwing Cardin and me over, he's forgotten about Sky, though. Sky bends down, seizes the hook-sword whose ribbon he severed, and spins it with devastating accuracy. He snags Dawn with the hook, and then flings the blade with all his might to the top of the mountain.

The sword hits the rock and pins it to the mountain side. For just a moment Quarry is thrown off balance, and he turns his head to see what's going on.

Sky lunges and drives his fist into Quarry's jaw, then again, then again. The chain around Cardin's neck is actually working against Quarry – he can't move away and he can't gather himself enough to release it. He's pinned in place by his own weapons and he's had the misfortune to enrage Sky. Sky grabs hold of his shirt-front to hold him in place and just keeps punching Quarry until the tone sounds. Then Sky lets go of him, and Quarry slides to the ground, barely conscious.

'Holy shit, man,' I say, hurrying over to make sure Cardin is alright. 'I thought you were just going to electrocute him!'

'Yeah,' Sky says, breathing heavily. 'So did I. But I'm really glad I did this instead.'


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

'I wish you _had_ just electrocuted him,' I mutter to Sky as we trudge towards the first aid room.

To his credit, Sky looks guilty. 'If I had known they'd ask you to heal him, I would have.'

We enter the room, and every instinct in my body starts wailing at me to run. Onyx Quarry is sitting up, and though one of his eyes is swollen shut, the look he's sending me is pure ice: crushing, grinding, death-dealing ice that steals the breath from all who venture toward it. Dove is sitting in a chair as far away from Quarry as possible, and he's poised to leap if he has to.

Sky and Cardin take up stations by the door, their hands hovering near their weapons. I advance, my eyes on Quarry, and hold out my hand. Wordless, he takes it. Healing him is awful; I desperately want to gag. I move to release him, but he doesn't let go. His grip is tightening.

'Something smells of sour grapes,' Dove says suddenly.

Startled by the interruption, Quarry's eyes flicker sideways, then around the room more slowly, noting everyone present and watching us. A measure of sanity returns to his face, and he lets me go. I back away. 'Hope the sting's faded,' I tell him. My words are completely polite. My tone and expression is enough to bring him to his feet. Cardin and Sky both step forward, and he subsides. He's outnumbered.

'Please don't make this worse,' Cardin mutters to me.

'How can I possibly make this worse?' I ask. 'We've already beaten his team like a drum.' And if he wasn't a sociopath from the day he was born, I will eat Polaris and Octantis both.

'Russel!' Cardin snarls.

I subside, and turn to check out the rest of QRZS. Spinelle didn't take any damage; she was just thrown clear. Lattice has a few facial bruises that I don't bother with, and Kutt is mercifully silent: Cardin shattered her jaw. I'm _really_ tempted to leave her as she is, but the medics are giving me expectant looks, so I take one for the team and restore her ability to speak. Surprisingly, she stays silent once I have: I think the currents in the air are enough to intimidate even her.

'Good game,' Dove says, rising to join us as we leave.

'Game's not over yet,' Quarry says in a low voice.

'Only for half of us,' I retort.

He smiles, and I turn away, suppressing a shudder at the deadness of him.

* * *

I'm met by Yang as we leave the first aid room but surprisingly it's her sister who's the most excited to see me.

'That was so _cool_!' Ruby squeals. 'That whirlwind was massive, how did you know it would work?!'

'Actually we all thought it wouldn't,' I say, trying to step past her to get to Yang.

'That seems reckless,' Weiss says critically.

'It was _necessary_ ,' Sky snaps.

'Alright, calm down,' Dove says with a grin, stepping forwards, able to relax now that we're away from QRZS. 'I'm here.'

Sky slams a fist against his shoulder. 'What is the matter with you?! Do you know how sloppy that was?!' Then he wraps his arms around Dove. 'Do not scare me like that again!'

'It wasn't–' Dove begins.

'You got thrown through a lightning storm in full plate armour!' Sky yells.

Dove opens his mouth, then pauses. ' _Oh_. Oh, ok.' His face is suddenly several shades paler. I feel my own stomach lurch. Suddenly Sky doesn't seem so unreasonable. Then Dove perks up. 'Pretty sure Russel could have healed that, though. Lightning, Aura damage – honestly, I think we're good for anything short of an actual meteorite strike.'

'Yeah, what was with that?' Cardin asks, turning to me. 'Since when has your Semblance been able to affect Auras?'

I rub my forehead. 'Ok, two things. First,' I barge past Ruby and Yang flings her arms around my neck. For the next few moments we're occupied, but when we're done, I turn to the group. 'And second, I have no idea. I didn't know my Semblance could do that either.'

'I suppose that makes sense,' Sky says.

'No it doesn't,' Weiss disagrees.

'It does,' Sky insists. 'Russel, you said you didn't use your Semblance more than a few times before coming here, and any healing you've done since has either been when you have something else on your mind–' Like passing into a coma from Aura depletion – 'or it's been after the Tournament matches, when nobody would need to be checking their scrolls.'

'So you think…' I begin slowly, thinking it through. 'You think that I've always been able to do that and just never noticed?'

'Must be,' Cardin says. 'Nobody's Semblance evolves this late in life.' Weiss shifts but Cardin doesn't notice. 'Unless it's because your control has gotten better or something.'

'But I absorb physical injuries, that shouldn't do anything to Auras,' I protest.

'I guess you must absorb _all_ the damage that someone takes,' Yang says. 'When you healed Cardin, your own Aura dropped, but then it came back up again when you suppressed the injury.'

'So I take the damage that an injury has inflicted to the person's Aura as well?' I say. Then I shake my head. 'This is too weird.'

'Hey, you won!' Yang says cheerfully. 'You're going into the doubles round! Uh, who _is_ going into the doubles round from your team?'

'We haven't decided,' Cardin admits.

'Speaking of the doubles round, we're about to miss the first fight!' Ruby says urgently.

'Oh, shit!' Dove blurts.

We hurry to our seats just in time. Overhead, the faces of Sustrai and Black flash up on screen, along with Coco and Yatsuhashi.

'This ought to be good,' Yang says with glee.

'What did those two do that makes you want to see them get pummelled that bad?' Dove jokes

'Who?' Sky mutters.

We all look at him. He shrugs at us. 'I'm just saying, it's an even money fight.'

'Coco is going to cream them,' I say with authority. Then I remember Black's confidence when he stepped into the ring against Pyrrha, and I hesitate. 'I…think...'

'We should take bets,' Dove says. Then his eyes widen. 'Oh my god! Cardin! What the fuck is wrong with us? Why aren't we taking bets and using your Semblance to rig the fights? Seriously, we could clean up.'

'Wait, what's Cardin's Semblance?' Yang asks, confused.

'So Yatsuhashi and Coco, huh?' Dove says hastily.

'Dove, you moron,' Cardin sighs. Then he turns to me. 'Though, if your Semblance turns out to be long-range... you could always help.'

The fight starts, but I'm not paying as much attention as I should be. I'm too busy mulling over this new aspect of my Semblance – or, if Sky is right, this old aspect of my Semblance.

We use our Aura to protect us, but surely once you've been injured and your Aura drops, the damage should be done. On the other hand, if I can transfer physical damage, why not Aura damage too?

To my right I can hear Ruby gasping at the fight, but I still can't muster up any interest for it. This has unsettled me more than it should. I don't resent my Semblance (much) any more, but I do dislike that it's started doing things without consulting me. And – I'm feeling ashamed. What else could I have achieved if I hadn't turned away from it? What am I able to do that I don't even know about? What if Cardin is accidentally correct and my Semblance _is_ long-range? I feel like I've missed out on my potential because I didn't even try, and the worst part is I know I'm right to feel that way.

Sky thinks I've been doing this forever and just never noticed. He might be right. The first time I healed it was one of my foster-brothers, before I became a Huntsman with a scroll. The other few times were during training, and nobody would have thought to check their scrolls to see if that graze they had suffered had done anything to their Aura. Since then – Blake, and the combatants… I hate not being sure, no matter how likely or plausible it seems.

I watch with detached interest at Black serves Yatsuhashi his head on a platter. Coco has disappeared into the forest, and the cameras set up in there can only give us flashes of green and brown, but to me it looks like the green is winning. Then a limp figure comes flying from the trees and hits the ground, and it's over for Yatsuhashi and Coco.

'Oh, no,' Ruby says, sounding like her heart is breaking. I have a feeling she hero-worshipped Coco to a small extent; and why not? Coco was a small, pale brunette who used a weapon that was twice as big again as its owner. Ruby could do worse for role models. Apparently, she could also do better, though.

I watch Sustrai emerge from the trees to join her partner and I wonder if Quarry has made me paranoid or if the momentary smile on Sustrai's face is as cruel as it looks to me.

* * *

There's an hour-long break between matches for lunch. I kind of wanted to spend it with Yang but apparently her uncle is in town and she and Ruby had promised to spend that time with him.

'Hey, out of interest, what does your uncle look like?' I ask, not sure that I want the answer.

'Um, he's pretty tall and thin… red eyes… messy black hair…' Yang shrugs.

I don't know why I'm surprised. Realistically speaking there was only one other person Corvus could have been. Still… _shit_.

* * *

Since Yang is unavailable I decide to spend the break with Cardin instead. Dove and Sky have wandered off together, so Cardin and I grab some stools at a noodle booth and settle in. We're halfway through our meal when someone grabs my shoulder and spins me around. I reach for my blades, thinking Quarry's come back for round two, but it's a different frothing psychopath.

'Thrush, I need your help,' Coco Adel says without any preamble.

'Coco,' Yatsuhashi says plaintively at her shoulder, but she ignores him. She's staring at me intently.

'I need you to heal me.'

I swallow my mouthful of noodles. 'There was nothing wrong with you but that you got knocked out for a couple of seconds. What is there to heal?'

She shifts from foot to foot. 'Can't you just generally heal me?'

I'm starting to get irritated. 'I'm not a pick-me-up.' I think? 'If there's nothing actually wrong with you then there's nothing for me to heal.'

Velvet steps forward and lays a hand on Coco's shoulder. 'Coco… let me.' she turns to me. 'During the match, Coco saw Yatsuhashi.'

'Sounds logical,' I say, not getting it. 'They were fighting together.'

'She saw him in the forest,' Velvet says.

Cardin frowns. 'He never made it to the forest.'

'I'm not going crazy,' Coco says furiously. 'I saw him, I know I saw him!'

'Did you tell the medics?' Cardin asks.

'They said it was combat fatigue,' Coco says resentfully. 'But it wasn't!'

'I can't heal mental–' I stop myself. 'Or maybe I can,' I say thoughtfully. 'I guess I've never tried.' Normally I'd tell Coco where to go, but I want to _know_. Curiosity killed the cat, and it's doing a real number on me. Using my Semblance has shown me how little I know about it, and I desperately want to change that. The idea of part of myself being out of my control is anathema to me.

'Mental illness is more complicated than physical injuries,' Cardin says to me, warningly and with all the sensitivity of a speeding train.

'Only because we don't know enough about it,' I counter.

'But what if you get too crazy to use your Semblance to suppress it?'

'Hey!' Coco yells. We both ignore her.

'That'd suck pretty hard, but I'm pretty sure I can use my Semblance to check what's wrong with her before I actually take the injury,' I point out.

'I think it's a bad idea,' Cardin says firmly. 'Bodies are one thing, minds are another.'

'Look, I can repair bodies and I can repair Auras,' I say. 'Who's to say I can't do minds as well?'

'You repair Auras as a side effect of bodies,' Cardin says.

'I have to at least try, though,' I point out. 'And I mean, combat fatigue isn't as bad as it could be. Adel could be batshit crazy, after all.'

'Batshit crazier,' Cardin says with a grin.

'Oh, ha ha,' Coco says bitterly. 'Are you going to help me or not?'

I hold out my hand. 'I'll try.'

She grabs my hand and I close my eyes, concentrating. My Semblance reaches out, and for the first time, I realise that I can distinguish between Auras.

I always knew who I was healing, but I always thought that was just because I had known intellectually. Now I can see that each Semblance - I guess _tastes_ different is the best way of saying it. Cardin was like a tree, solid but alive; Blake was like cobwebs, soft and clinging. May Zedong was kind of like celery, crisp and tart. Quarry's was like oil, thick and toxic. I don't remember the rest of BRNZ and NDGO because their wounds were so superficial and I healed them so hastily, but Coco – she's like hot concrete. Warm, but unyielding.

She's also perfectly fine, as far as I can tell. My Semblance is just hanging out, not reacting to anything.

'I don't think there's anything wrong with you,' I say, letting go of her hand.

'I _saw_ him!' Coco insists, and I realise that she's genuinely afraid.

'Maybe you had a moment of combat fatigue in the arena itself,' I say, making my voice more gentle. 'Maybe it's gone. Or maybe I just can't help with mental stuff.'

'That's all you can suggest?' Coco spits.

'Well, have you considered that maybe Yatsuhashi can replicate like everyone else in this damn Tournament and just decided to mess with you?' I say, giving up on being nice to her. 'God knows I'd be tempted.'

'I did not,' Yatsuhashi says.

'Then unless Sustrai can shapeshift or conjure up illusions, which I think the commentators _might_ have mentioned, you should go and see a real doctor,' I say flatly. Port and Oobleck hadn't referenced Sustrai's Semblance at all during the fight, I remembered that much, and they had been diligent about identifying Semblances for those viewing at home. If she had pulled something like that on Coco, they'd have pointed it out.

Unless she had lied about her Semblance, of course. But what would be the point of that? The contestants weren't given access to competitor information, and even if Port and Oobleck let the cat out of the bag, that sort of thing Coco was not some sort of one-hit-wonder Semblance that needed the element of surprise to be effective. It could be reused in a later fight.

'I don't need to see a doctor,' Coco spits.

'I agree,' Cardin says, surprising us all. 'If it was just one occurrence, in a high-stress environment, then I think you're fine. After all, it was only a tournament match.'

Coco stares at him for a long moment, then mutters 'Damn you,' and strides off, followed by Yatsuhashi and Fox. Velvet lingers to shoot Cardin a grateful look, then hurries off after her team.

'What just – did you just –' I'm so confused.

Cardin looks sheepish. 'I just made her realise that if it happened once it could happen again. I mean, a tournament match isn't as stressful as battle. If she's developing PES then she needs to deal with it now, right?'

'You're a good dude, Cardin,' I say warmly, turning back to my lunch.

'Yeah, well… since Dove told me I need to stop being so narrow-minded, I've kind of been trying to work out how people work, you know?' Cardin says diffidently. 'Like, what makes people tick. So I can kind of guess what I have to say to get people to react in a certain way.'

I start to say something then check myself hastily. 'Ok, but don't go overboard with the whole chessmaster thing,' I say instead. 'I think Coco got that you were making a point for her own good, but if you try to start manipulating people–'

'I'm not going to turn into my father, if that's what you're worried about,' Cardin says coldly.

'Kind of,' I admit. 'I'm glad you're trying to understand people better, though.' I cast around for something to say. 'It's really – big of you.'

'Did you just call me fat?'

I've just taken a mouthful of noodles. When I start laughing, I almost choke, and Cardin has to pound me on the back.

* * *

We meet up with Sky and Dove after lunch and watch the rest of the matches together. When the tone sounds to signal the end of that day's matches, we're returning to our dorm when my scroll beeps. I check it; it's a summons from Ironwood.

'What did you do?' Cardin asks with interest, seeing my face pale.

'Nothing!' I protest. 'Maybe he's going to tell me he wants to pay me more money?' I say hopefully.

'Doesn't seem likely,' Sky says solemnly.

He's probably right. 'Shit. What _did_ I do?' I ask out loud.

* * *

I report to Ozpin's office as requested. Ozpin, Ironwood, and Goodwitch are all present. There's a seat in front of Ozpin's desk that they gesture me into, and I'm struck by mad notions of a prisoner in the dock.

'Thank you for coming, Russel,' Ozpin begins.

'Look, if this is about rigging the tournament matches, that was Dove's idea!' I blurt out.

There's a moment of silence. 'It isn't,' Ironwood says finally.

I feel myself flushing. 'Ah… never mind, then.'

Ironwood stares at me for a moment then visibly makes the decision to move on. 'Russel, when you healed Cardin Winchester today, you affected his Aura.'

'Yeah?'

'Do you know how you did that?'

'Pretty sure it was my Semblance. I could be wrong, though.' A little part of my mind points out that snarking at authority figures is a bad idea when they own an army, but habit is a cruel mistress.

'Mr Thrush,' Goodwitch says sharply.

'No, I don't know,' I say irritably. 'I didn't even know I _could_ affect people's Auras until today.'

'So you have _no_ idea?' Ironwood pressed.

I'm about to give him snark when I catch sight of Ozpin staring at me. His face is so grave; it's like having ice Dust thrown on me. 'I talked about it with my team,' I say reluctantly. 'Sky – Sky Lark – he thinks that when I absorb the physical injury, I take the damage to the person's Aura that the injury caused, y'know? So I took Cardin's broken arm–'

'And you took the damage that receiving the broken arm did to his Aura also,' Ironwood says. He looks excited.

'Sky reckons I've been doing that the whole time, and I've just never noticed,' I add.

'And what do you think?' Ozpin asks.

I shrug. 'It makes sense.'

'Russel, there's someone I'd like you to heal,' Ironwood says.

'Of course there is,' I mutter. 'Where are they?'

'Before we tell you that,' Ironwood says, 'I need you to swear that you will never discuss what you see.'

'Sure.'

'I'm very serious about this, Russel,' Ironwood says. 'I have the authority to make you disappear forever if you violate this promise, and I am more than prepared to do so.'

I stare at him for a moment, completely lost for words. 'Is threatening your medic really such a good idea?' I ask finally.

'In fact, it isn't,' Goodwitch agrees. 'And that should tell you exactly how serious we are about this matter.'

'Ok,' I say finally. 'I swear. Oath of silence.'

Ironwood actually slams his hand down on the desk. 'This is not a joke, Russel!'

'And I'm not joking. I'm taking it as seriously as I take anything,' I say, irritated.

'I think you could find something more meaningful to swear by, Mr Thrush,' Ozpin says quietly, surprising me and Ironwood both.

'Fine,' I say. 'Look, you want a promise?' I press my hand to my spaulder strap. 'I swear on the soul of the girl that I loved that I will not discuss what I'm about to do.'

Ironwood finally calms down. 'Thank you.' Then he, Ozpin and Goodwitch moves towards the door. 'Please follow me.'

They lead me to a normal looking elevator that's tucked away in an alcove. We get in, and Ozpin inputs a code that has more numbers than I ever thought possible. The elevator drops sharply, and I finally start to wonder what exactly is going on.

'So the person you want me to heal is a dragon, right?' I say finally, when after a solid minute the lift shows no signs of slowing. 'Who lives in the centre of the earth on a giant pile of gold?'

'Not quite, Russel,' Ironwood says. The doors open and I step out, into a massive cavernous room that does nothing to dispel my dragon theory.

'What is this place?' I ask, turning a circle as I walk. 'It's like a church.'

'That's classified,' Ironwood says.

'Ohmygod,' I mutter under my breath. I'm sure they all hear me, but only Goodwitch reacts: she shoots me a surprisingly sympathetic look.

As we reach the end of the hall, we finally come to the main event. There's a machine of some sort set up against the far wall. 'Here is the church, here is the steeple,' I murmur, unable to stop myself.

As I get closer, I can see that the focus of the machine is an upright container. Although it's rounded in shape and has a glass front, I'm struck by thoughts of coffins.

'Open the doors, and here are the people,' Ozpin finishes.

I advance on the container, drawn to it. Inside is a… girl. Just a girl, wearing white underwear and nothing else. She's dark-skinned, with a brown bob. Her face is covered by a massive – burn? It looks almost like an acid burn. Something is radiating from her; something that makes the hair on my arms stand on end. This whole place is full of an eerie sense of anticipation, of ravens on the gibbet or mourners by a waiting grave.

'Who is she?' I ask. My voice echoes in the empty air.

'She's a Huntress from Atlas,' Ironwood says. 'She was engaged in testing a new weapon for me. During the exercise her Aura took damage.'

'Her _Aura_ took damage?' I repeat. 'I don't heal Auras –'

'You managed to heal Cardin's,' Goodwitch says.

'Yeah, but I told you, that was, like, an incidental side-effect,' I say, walking closer to the glass. 'I mean, how does an Aura even _get_ damaged? Depleted, sure, but _damaged_? Is that possible?'

'It's possible,' Goodwitch says. 'We don't understand how it happened ourselves, which is why we're having trouble fixing it.'

'What was she testing?' I ask curiously.

'That's classified,' Ironwood says firmly.

'Seriously?' I let out a snort of laughter. ''Cause the idea of a weapon that damages Auras is pretty damned terrifying. And you wonder why people aren't fans of the Atlas military...' I realise what I've said and stop dead. Because really, what sort of purpose would that sort of weapon have _except_ for domestic strikes? 'Did you develop a weapon that targets Hunters?' Grimm don't have Auras, after all.

'No!' Ironwood says, exasperated. 'It was an accident!' He sees me looking at him suspiciously and rubs his forehead. 'Russel, if I had deliberately developed a weapon that damages Auras, would I be this upset that it had worked?'

'Ok, fair point.'

'We're getting off topic,' Ironwood tells me. 'Can you heal her?'

'I don't know. Can we pull her out of this thing?' I rap on the glass.

'Stop that!' Goodwitch snaps.

'We have to leave her in there,' Ironwood says. 'It's the only thing keeping her alive.'

'I can't heal her if I can't reach her,' I say, turning to glare at him. This place is putting me on edge.

'Those machines are hooked up to her,' Ozpin says. 'They're essentially an extension of her, which means that you can access her through them.'

'If you say so.' I take a deep breath and press my hand to the glass, then I reach for my Semblance.

* * *

'–think he's waking up. Russel?'

I groan. I feel like I've been set on fire. My head is pounding, my vision is blurred, I'm nauseous and my skin and bones ache. Every single muscle in my body has cramped. I gag; someone grabs me and elevates my torso and positions a bowl under my mouth, and as if on cue I begin to throw up, acid burning my throat. My stomach is empty after only a few seconds, but I keep retching, totally helpless to stop.

After what has to be at least five minutes, it finally ends. My body is still throbbing and now all I can smell is vomit. This is not my best day. Memories of my conversation before fighting QRZS floats to the forefront of my mind, and I realise that I can finally use the phrase 'every fibre of my being' and know what I'm actually talking about. I feel fundamentally _wrong,_ in my body, in my mind, and in my soul.

'Are you feeling better?' a familiar voice asks as the hands lower me back to the ground.

I squint against the lights, managing to make out Ironwood after a few minutes. He and Goodwitch are kneeling next to me. Ozpin is standing over them, watching me with unreadable eyes.

I look around blearily. I'm lying on the floor in the recovery position, a series of medical items forming a semi-circle around me. I don't know how much time has passed. There's an IV attached to my hand, with a familiar-looking bag of red stuff attached.

'I know, I know… more sap,' Goodwitch says, tracking my eyes, trying to sound flippant. 'Lie still and let it work.'

'What…?' I whisper. I haven't felt like this in my life; draining myself healing Blake didn't hurt as much.

'You had a seizure of some sort when you activated your Semblance,' Ironwood says. 'Apparently you can't heal a damaged Aura.'

I am _so_ glad that I was able to confirm that for him. Goodwitch sees my face and offers me a juice box with a straw. I desperately want to throw it at her, but that's just not possible – yet – so I sip obediently instead. The sweetness makes me want to retch again.

'Just rest, Mr Thrush,' Ozpin says. 'It was an experiment that didn't work out. We can be glad you didn't suffer any permanent damage.'

At his words I raise a shaky hand and touch my face. It's smooth and unmarked, but it itches as if there was a burn there.

'I'm sorry, but I need to leave,' Ironwood says. 'Russel, lie still until you've–'

'You'll never fix her,' I say. Talking is as much agony as I imagined it would be, but I don't even care. 'Whatever happened to her…' I clear my throat. It doesn't help. I still sound like someone has tried to strangle me. 'She's not normal anymore. She never will be. You can't help her. You should just let her die.'

Goodwitch's eyes widen, but Ironwood and Ozpin both look unsurprised. Sad, but unsurprised. 'I'll keep that in mind,' Ironwood says softly. 'Thank you for trying.'

I lower my head again, feeling it spin. As I blink, I can see the body in the coffin. I left a handprint on the glass; it's right across her heart.

I'm sorry, whoever you were. Not a Huntress from Atlas; that much I'd swear is bullshit. But you were someone who was very important to these very important people, and more fundamentally, you were _someone._ I'm sorry I couldn't heal you, but I'm not sure anyone could.

And if it makes you feel at all better, my partner is probably going to kill me too, since it's possible I'll have to fight in the tournament tomorrow and I can't even stand up right now. Nor can I tell him why I'm in such bad shape, though I'm sure he'll ask at length.

At least you'll have company in the afterlife, if they ever let you reach it.

* * *

 **So a few points: Russel didn't use the pod because the pod is specifically to transfer Aura. On the other hand, since Aura can be transferred by the machine, Russel can access Amber's Aura through contact with the machine.**

 **Russel passed out when he tried to heal Amber basically because he's male. In the show I got the impression that Amber's Aura was intact and that it was her Autumn Maiden magic which had been divided. However, the magic is tied to Amber's Aura, which Russel can access. So Russel is trying to absorb Amber's magic to heal it, which he can't do for a number of reasons. For one thing it isn't an injury, as such, for another he has nowhere to absorb it too because he has no magic of his own, and finally, as I said, he's a guy so he couldn't use the magic anyway. When he tried to transfer the injury, he tried to access something fundamentally alien, and it shut him down hard.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

I have vague memories of stumbling into my dorm room late that night, but they're fragmented and shivery. Goodwitch sees me to my door (and unlocks it when I miss the swipe four times in a row) but she doesn't follow me in. Cardin half-wakes up, but I ignore his mumbled queries and just crash onto my bed, not bothering to change, shower or brush my teeth. I don't think I even remove my boots. I just fall onto my bed and drop into blackness like a rock.

The team lets me sleep through most of breakfast, but they aren't going to let me miss the tournament matches. An hour before they restart, I roll over and find someone in my way.

'Shmer?' I mumble, prying my eyes open.

Yang's lying in bed next to me, her hands folded behind her head, fast asleep. I sit up, blinking sleep from my eyes, and try to work out what's going on. Yang is in my bed. Yang is fully dressed in my bed. I am in my bed. I am in my bed with Yang. I am fully dressed in my bed with Yang. There are several things wrong with this picture.

The main one is that I don't feel anything.

Normally I would be confused, surprised, happy, optimistic. Now I look down at her and intellectually? I know she's beautiful. Emotionally she could be a pillow for all I care. I'm not annoyed, I'm not confused... There's nothing.

Intellectually I know I should be scared by this.

Yang must feel me staring at her, because she stirs and opens her eyes. 'Morning,' she says, yawning. 'Sorry about this, I was going to wake you up, but you looked really peaceful, so I thought I'd give you a couple more minutes. Then… I think I fell asleep.'

'Ok.'

'Your team's at breakfast,' Yang prattles on. 'Cardin said you got in really late last night.'

I don't respond for several moments until I realise that she's staring at me expectantly. I can't tell her the truth, Ironwood was pretty fucking clear on that. What can I have done last night that would have kept me out that late? 'I – had to talk to Ozpin about the tournament and the healing bullshit,' I say. 'And then I – ran into – Octavia. And then we got dinner together. And talked.'

'Octavia,' Yang repeats. 'The redhead who fought Sun?'

'Yeah, that's her. She was one of Violet's friends. So we just hung out for a couple of hours.'

'You should get breakfast before the dining hall closes,' Yang says.

I'm not hungry, but I follow her down to the dining hall. CRDL, RWBY and JNPR are all sitting together, but the instant we step through the door, Yang peels off and sits next to Weiss, at the very head of the table, leaving me to grab some toast and settle in next to Ren at the other end.

'Finally,' Cardin exclaims impatiently, glancing over. 'Dude, you've been asleep for forever!'

An image of the girl in the glass rises up in my mind, and I have to suppress a shiver. 'Sorry for disturbing you so greatly,' I snap. Hyperbole is a lot more uncomfortable when it's got such a strong element of truth to it.

Cardin looks at me a little more closely, then turns back to his conversation with Pyrrha, Jaune and Sky. 'I hear what you're saying, but I swear to god there's a pattern.'

'Listen, I'm telling you, that's just not possible!' Sky insists. 'The software that generates the matches is totally random!'

'On the other hand software is still created by people,' Pyrrha points out. 'So maybe it's simply as close to random as possible?'

'You're saying true randomness is impossible?' Sky asks, intrigued.

'I'm with Cardin,' Jaune says. 'The biomes have been too close to perfect, y'know?'

'You're basing that on the fact that Nora got access to lightning and that blue-haired guy got access to water, though,' Sky points out. 'If the fights were being tailored to give the best possible show, then your own evidence undermines you, because the second Nora and what's-his-face took advantage of their environments it was a total one-hit-kill.'

'And the environment when Sun was fighting was actually skewed against his team,' Pyrrha adds. 'A team from Vacuo in a desert environment?'

'Ah, but that just makes it more likely it was set up,' Jaune says proudly, 'because when Neptune won it was a total reversal. You can't tell me people at home wouldn't be talking about that the next day!'

'It wasn't a total reversal,' Cardin argues. 'Who knew that dude was afraid of water? It should have been an even match, really, if he wasn't such a pussy.'

'I think if I had an electrical weapon I'd be afraid of water too,' Sky says fairly. 'But come on, Cardin, all you're saying is that every environment has different advantages. What about the trees in JNPR's match? The sniper got a real advantage there.'

'Trees can be demolished, storm clouds can't,' Cardin insists.

'And people can be shot off mountain faces,' Sky says. 'It can all be explained as a matter of tactics!'

'Guys, forget tactics,' Dove says, spreading the newspaper he had been reading on the table. 'They've got profiles of the competitors who are going into the doubles round!'

This is so effective in distracting them that I can't help but wonder if Dove puts more faith in tactics then he's letting on. Pyrrha, Jaune, Sky and Cardin break off their conversation, Nora stops sculling syrup (seriously, she's got ten jars lined up in front of her like shot glasses), and Ruby, Weiss, Ren and Blake all look up. Even Yang, toying with her porridge, shows some interest.

'They've given top billing to the ones they think are likely to win,' Dove comments. 'So you've obviously got the biggest photo, Pyrrha.' He's looking at a double-spread with pictures of the competitors – some of the more photogenic ones, anyway – and boxes of text beneath. He points at the centrefold picture; it's Pyrrha. She looks strong and proud and cold. Pyrrha looks at it, and her eyes soften with sorrow.

'Well, at least they got my left side,' she says finally.

'Nora, you're here too,' Sky says, pointing to one corner. 'They called you an avatar of lightning and ash.'

'Oh good,' Nora says, tossing back some more syrup.

'And described you as terrifying.'

'That's perfect!'

'Weiss, you've got a photo,' Dove says. 'You too, Yang. Black and white, unfortunately. Though they _did_ describe you as a bouncing blonde with glorious hair.'

Yang manages a half-hearted smile. 'Yeah, you got that right.'

'Let me see,' Weiss says impatiently, whisking the paper away from him. 'Ahem. "Among the teams proceeding from Beacon Academy are Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and her teammate Yang Xiao Long. During their first match these two displayed impressive coordination, using Weiss' skill with Ice Dust and Yang's powerful gauntlets to knock out three competitors in one strike. White-haired Schnee's intricate Semblance and Dust combinations will make her a formidable opponent, while the bouncing blonde with glorious hair will serve as the hammer to Schnee's rapier."'

Dove makes a snatch and retrieves his paper. 'Didn't your family ever teach you to say please?'

'Probably not,' Blake says with a slight grin to take the sting out.

'Ooh, catty,' Dove say with a grin. 'Ok, Russ and Sky…' He scans the paper. 'Short paragraph. Sorry, guys. "The last battle of the first round was certainly an exciting one, with Russel Thrush and Sky Lark of Beacon progressing onwards. Thrush's mobility and Lark's short- and long-range capabilities provide an array of options. Thrush's Semblance, which appears to be the ability to restore the Aura of another person, tuned the tide in their first match and may give this team the edge they need in the upcoming bouts."'

'Because god forbid we use our _skill_ to gain an edge,' Sky says, sounding irritated.

'It's a decent photo, though,' Cardin says. I glance over without much interest. It is a decent photo, taken as we leave the Arena; Sky is standing with Alouette over his shoulder. I'm standing next to him, grinning crookedly, with Polaris and Octantis crossed at my waist. Sky looks startlingly noble. I look like a bomb-throwing anarchist he's been set to guard.

'Eh,' I say, returning to my half-eaten toast, reflecting that there would be nothing quite so embarrassing as fainting mid-fight.

'Wait – there's an editorial,' Blake says, sounding surprised.

There's a moment of silence as half the table reads it and the other half resists snatching it from them.

'It's about you, Weiss,' Dove says finally.

'About me?' Weiss sounds slightly worried.

Dove clears his throat. 'About – whether it's fair for you to enter the tournament. Because of your family's Dust resources.'

Weiss pales. I didn't even think that was possible. 'What does it say?' she says finally.

'It says that – the amount of Dust you have access to gives you an advantage that none of the other competitors have. That Dust is an expensive commodity that most students can't afford. And that – ah, shit. It uses us as an example. "Team CRDL's unorthodox strike against team QRTZ set the tone for their match. They might have employed Dust, but as a tool and not as a limb. Their action was carried by bold tactics, decisive action and a use of all of their combined talents. There is no doubt that their use of Dust – sparingly, surgically, and at a time when conventional action would have achieved no advantage – was correct in every way. Dust is too precious to be thrown around like sand on a beach, and it is certainly too precious to serve as… "' He puts the paper down. '"As an heiress's plaything."'

'Fuck 'em,' Yang says after a moment of stunned silence. She's forgotten to be moody, and she's staring at Weiss with real concern. 'They don't know you.'

'I can't believe they'd publish that,' Weiss says. She seems to be in shock. 'They've seen me fight one match! And we won!'

'Yang's right,' Jaune says. 'They don't know you. Don't let them get to you.'

'They're using the tournament as free publicity,' Pyrrha says, sounding disgusted. 'It's gutter scum tactics.'

The teams spend the rest of breakfast consoling Weiss, so at least there's one upside to the editorial: nobody notices that I give absolutely zero fucks.

* * *

I walk to the Arena feeling like I'm in some sort of fishbowl. We linger at the gates for a few moments; Cardin and Dove will be watching us from the stands with the rest of the proles. 'So,' Cardin says, looking over at me. 'Bad dreams again?'

'What makes you say that?' I ask.

'The fact that you were muttering to yourself all night?' Dove suggests from the other side.

'What was I saying?' I ask after a moment, wondering if I've already violated my super-secret-solemn pinky oath to the pissed-off dude with a high-tech army.

'Muttering about a coffin,' Cardin says after a moment. 'And someone you couldn't reach. It was creepy as hell.'

I shrug at him. 'I dunno, man. I don't remember.' Nothing but the literal truth.

* * *

'You seem really calm about this,' Sky says to me as we walk across the Arena to face our opponents.

'You want me to panic?'

He frowns slightly. 'No?' He glances at me, and for a moment I think I see weariness. 'Seriously, are you ok?'

He's sick of this. He's sick of my shit. He's sick of my issues, of the baggage I carry with me. He and Dove are normal. Hell, even Cardin's started to fit the mould, iron out his worst dictator tendencies, play nice with the other kids. I'm the last one, the only one who hasn't gotten their shit together. Sky is tired of me. And who the hell can blame him? I'm as broken now as I was when I came to this place, running from my memories. And I don't even know how to fix myself yet.

'Bit late to be asking that, don't you think?' I turn my attention back to the girls facing us. They're both fairly short. One has blue hair and a beret. The other is a redhead who I think I've seen talking to Ruby from time to time.

'Sal-u- _tations,_ ' the redhead says cheerfully.

'How do you do,' Sky responds politely, putting me aside.

A look of sheer disbelief and joy crosses the redhead's face, as if Sky is the first one to actually respond to such a dumb greeting. Actually, that seems plausible: Sky has impeccable manners.

'This will be a stunning bout,' Port says overhead. 'Ciel Soleil and Penny Polendina of Atlas Academy blazed their way through to the two-on-two round, but Sky Lark and Russel Thrush of Beacon Academy showed a real knack for teamwork and unorthodox tactics that will stand them in good stead today.'

'I look forward to our bout,' Penny says.

'Whatever,' I say.

Sky shoots me a startled sideways look. I've gotten a lot more polite lately – he's put it down to Yang's influence but really, it's not like I had any direction to go but up – so this represents a definite step backwards. Soleil doesn't seem too bothered, but Polendina also looks a little taken aback.

The ground is rumbling around us. I watch the biomes rise: ocean, geyser, mountain and an odd one that seems to be purple platforms, suspended in the air.

'I don't want to know,' I snap, cutting off Sky as he opens his mouth to explain how it works.

He gives me an offended look, but apparently decides that three seconds before the start of a match is not the time to pick a fight – or at least not with your own team.

I shouldn't be here. I should have stepped back and let Cardin or Dove take my place. They thought Sky's Semblance gave him the advantage, and that my mobility would be important. They might have been right, but I still shouldn't be here.

God, I'm not sure any of us should be here. What's the point in it all?

What's the joy in being here?

The tone is about to sound. Sky whirls Alouette into a guard position and bounces back. Polendina throws her arms wide, and a bunch of swords spin into the air behind her. She ignores Sky, and turns her eyes onto me. Guess we know who her favourite is here.

Not that I care, of course. I watch seven swords unfurl, and all I feel is infinitely weary. 'What is it with this school and overpowered redheads?' I ask Sky.

'What?' he gasps.

'Ruby, Pyrrha, Nora, now her!' I gesture at her in pure frustration. 'I mean, come on! One's committable, one's some sort of battle goddess, one got in two years early because she was too dangerous to be unsupervised, and now there's this bow-wearing weirdo!'

'Oh, you know Ruby?' Polendina asks excitedly.

The tone sounds.

'Yup,' I say, not moving.

'Russel, MOVE!' Sky bellows, diving to the side as seven swords hurtle towards me.

'I'm seeing her sister. How do you know Ruby?' I don't make a conscious decision to move, but I see the swords coming and my body flips, seemingly of its own accord, to get me out of the way.

'Oh, ah…' The girl visibly hesitates. I dodge two swords before she responds. Yep. Survival instinct is definitely leading a coup against my brain, ably seconded by muscle memory. 'We, well, met… in town. Ruby is my best friend!'

'Figures,' I say, skidding to a halt. I still haven't drawn my weapons. 'Maybe I should dye my hair red, then I can have a bullshit overpowered Semblance too. Or maybe my weapons will just develop the ability to turn into cannons all on their own.'

'Your Semblance is Aura restoration, isn't it?' the girl asks politely, twirling her arms and bringing her swords into a circle in front of her where they spin malevolently. 'That seems like a splendid Semblance to me. _And_ I think you'd look lovely as a redhead!'

'You're a moron. I'd look like a freak with red hair. What's your name again?'

'I'm Penny.'

I sigh and draw the Stars. 'Nice to meet you. Russel Thrush.'

 _'_ Sal-u- _tations,_ Russel Thrush!' She bows to me, taking the chance to redo the greeting I blew off earlier.

'You know what, you can fuck right off.'

She flings every single sword she's got at me in response.

I charge her, planning getting behind her blades. As they reach me I prepare to jump, then behind me I hear Sky yell 'WIRES!' For a moment I have no idea what he means, but I throw myself to the side instead of completing my forward movement and as one of the outermost blade passes inches in front of my face, I see it: the wires connecting to the hilt. They would have shredded me like Ozpin's credibility with the other nations post-Grimm invasion if I had landed among them.

'You ever played cats' cradle?' I ask, landing and skidding around to face her.

'Is it a game?' Polendina asks doubtfully.

'A puzzle,' I say.

'I'm quite familiar with puzzles, but I haven't played many games,' Polendina admits.

'Haven't played many games?' I roll my eyes. 'Ginger, please. What _exactly_ do you think this tournament is?'

'It's so we can test our skills against other students,' Polendina says, looking confused.

'Aw, that's cute.' God, was I ever that naïve? Maybe when I was born, but I doubt it. 'Face it, there's no _point_ to this.'

She meets my eyes, and for a moment she looks confused. But then her face clears, and she smiles right back at me, and says determinedly, 'I disagree.'

I shrug at her. 'What makes you think anyone gives a fuck?'

Then we explode into action.

I charge and she brings her swords sweeping at me. I prime Octantis and knock a sword out of the way. I want to flip but I duck down instead, rolling along the ground. The swords strike behind me, missing me by inches, marking out my path like surveyor's pegs. Two fly out behind her and anchor themselves in the ground, and Polendina uses them to pull away from me as I come up from my roll and lunge at her with Polaris outstretched.

She moves her arm in a circle and her swords intercept me. I kick at her with my left foot, then my right, and each time she blocks me. I circle to the side and she swivels with me and Sky shoots at her back, but with the most amazing reflexes I've ever seen, she bats the bullets away with a sword. It distracts her, though, and I close in from the right as Sky shifts his fire from her blue-haired friend and unloads at her from the left. Polendina knocks his bullets away with, you guessed it, another sword, but we're actually pressing her now as I rain kicks and strikes at her. It's the same technique we've used before with Pyrrha. Fucking redheads. Polendina's spinning on the spot to parry us both. For a moment I think we might have her, and then Soleil pulls a pair of gun-blades, one long and thin, one short and broad, and tries to charge Sky. Sky starts parrying her attacks, freeing up Polendina's attention.

Suddenly there are so many swords, everywhere, tracing intricate patterns in the air. I fend them off with Polaris and Octantis, dodging and rolling so that she can't get at me without tangling the wires. It's like fighting the King Taijitu all over again. I'm doing my best to tie her in knots and Polendina is doing her best to impale me. We must look like two mad dances, moving together with unmatched movements, spinning as the other twirls, raising our arms to block the weapons that have been sent at us with raised arms.

She hits me with one of her swords, finally, just as I manage to pin another to the ground with ice Dust. We both fall back for a moment. I'm breathing heavily, and am irritated to notice she's not. Her bow is crooked, though; that's something. 'This is a game to you?' Polendina asks, curiously, prying her trapped sword off the ground.

'Life is a game,' I say. 'First lesson. There are rules and they're not fair and people choose whether to enforce them or not and then you've got the dicks who'll cheat because they can. But yeah. Yeah, it's all a game.' God, who am I talking to here? Whatever, she's listening.

'I don't know that I agree with you,' Polendina says.

'Oh yeah? What do you think, then? What's your own personal meaning of life?'

'I don't know,' Polendina says, clearly thrown off balance. 'My father says – '

'You let your father speak for you all the time?' I ask. 'What happens if you disagree with him?'

'Oh, that could never happen.'

'Sure it can,' I say. 'You've got a brain. Use it against him, even just for the practice. There's gotta be something you want that he doesn't. Chocolate, lacy underwear, sex with three hot guys?'

'Uh…' Polendina's face has frozen. I think I've short-circuited her. Innocence can be a real design flaw sometimes.

'Not that there's anything wrong with your father wanting sex with three hot guys,' I add, just to be that little bit more of a dick.

Her mouth drops open just a little bit, and I swear her eyes stop moving.

'Whatever,' I say. I've been inching closer as I talk, and she's been so disconcerted she hasn't even noticed. 'The point is–' I kick her in the stomach and she flies back, 'That you're you and he's him. So you have no fucking idea what he knows is right.' I grimace. Is she wearing body armour? That really hurt my foot.

'That was a trick!' Polendina says, getting back up.

'Ginger, I told you. This is all a fucking game. Someone's got to win it. If you don't learn to bend you'll break like–' I frown. I keep wanting to use computer metaphors. Don't ask me why. 'Like a scrawny redhead in an ugly dress.' Weak, I know. Whatever.

Her eyes narrow. 'It doesn't matter what I look like. I'm combat ready!'

'Prove it,' I say coolly.

I'm not going to win this fight without getting inside her head. She's too good a fighter. Fucking redheads. But at the same time – she's totally straightforward. There's no guile to her. It's her personality and it's reflected in her weapons. They're amazing, really, they are, but at the same time, if she tries anything off the straight and narrow, she's going to get tangled up in wires. Any other day and I'd have her dancing in circles by now.

And this is the thing about weapons like hers – once you commit, that's it. Blake overcame that problem by sticking a gun on the end of her ribbon, which allowed her to change directions once she had committed to a throw or a twirl. This chick does not seem to have that capability, so once she's set her swords on one course, any change has to originate with her.

Any fighter who makes it to Beacon is good enough to read body language (Jaune Fucking Arc excepted). But today that's not enough. I may have been giving her shit this entire time, but I still know when to fold 'em.

'Sky,' I whisper under my breath, 'Swap with me.' I charge Polendina, weaving from side to side. She brings the swords up once more. 'Count of three. One…two…three!'

I'm only a few metres away from Polendina when I commit. I've been weaving as I run, and as I swerve left, I just keep going, throwing myself into a roll and coming to my feet facing the opposite direction, facing the blue-haired chick. Sky starts firing at Polendina, high-powered rounds literally forcing her back, and I charge Soleil, throwing myself into the good ol' triple somersault, catching her in the back and sending her flying across the stadium into the platforms biome. Neither of them are expecting it, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Polendina desperately trying to get space between her and Sky.

The crowd is cheering at this about-face, but I don't have time for them. As Soleil gets back to her feet I sprint forwards and leap into the air, landing on top of one of the platforms. I run across it, swing under the other side and hit her in the back once more.

Sky is a fairly stationary fighter, and that was the mindset Soleil had gotten into: one where she had the mobility advantage. It only takes her a few seconds to switch her outlook, but in that time I've managed to get into two solid hits, and her Aura's dropped dramatically. Unfortunately I don't think that's going to last, because people with the fighting style we share – lightly-armoured, highly manoeuvrable – generally tend to fight in unorthodox styles to take advantage of our speed. As I keep telling Cardin, it doesn't matter how much armour someone has if they don't actually see you coming. Works like a charm against a tank like Cardin or Yang. Less effective against someone who uses the same style.

Sure enough, Soleil hits the ground, recovers and comes up on her feet. I was fighting a close-range game with Polendina to try and limit where she could put her swords. I want to fight a close-range game with Soleil to take advantage of my size and try and keep her longer sword out of effective range, so I move towards her, just in time to get my head almost taken off with a kick. She follows up with a second and a third that I dodge, and then she spins in a cutting motion so brutally effective that I'm forced to flip backwards to avoid it.

So she's got some moves. Fucking hell, is this fight _ever_ going to end? All I want is to go back to bed. Soleil and I trade blows for a few minutes, but she won't let me close and I can't get past her defences. Ok. Time to try something else. I drop to the ground as if I've stumbled and fallen, and shake some of the fire Dust from Polaris' cartridge. She goes into the obvious overhand strike at me, and I throw myself back. Her sword hits the Dust, and blows up in her face. It wasn't enough to do any real damage, but she starts coughing from the smoke.

Her training is solid enough that she keeps her blades up, but I'm not going to try and engage her in a knife fight. She's way too good. Instead I lunge under her defences and use the Stars to trap her blades, twisting them. If she wants to keep hold then she's about to be put her into a double-arm lock that I know from personal experience is exquisitely painful. Ren and I have been using it on each other all year. I'm better at it, though it's not like Ren can't fight without his weapons. Sure enough, Soleil's hands spasm open and her blades fall to the ground.

She kicks back at me, catching me in the knee, and I let her go before she gets the chance to do actual damage. As I retreat, I bend down and seize her blades, tucking them into the back of my belt. She takes up a martial stance, hands up in guard position, and I cock my head at her.

'You mad, bro?'

'RUSSEL!'

Sky's warning comes way too late. Polendina has seen what I've done to her friend, she isn't impressed, and it seems like all Sky and I have managed to do is give her some ideas when it comes to ganging up on other fighters. Three swords hit me, one after the other, sending me flying across the stadium towards Soleil, who's clearly just raring for a hand-to-hand fight. For a few moments I have to concentrate on fending off her kicks and blows, keeping one eye open for those fucking swords. I take a couple of painful hits as a result: Soleil really _is_ mad.

Polendina seems to feel Soleil has it covered now, because she's turned her full attention to my teammate. Sky is at risk of getting pinned down against the mountain face. He has to stay mobile, and he knows he has to stay mobile, but it's easier said than done: those motherfucking swords are everywhere.

Seriously, fuck this school and its little redheads too.

I'm being forced back. Sky is firing, trying to knock the swords out of the sky, his bullets exploding against the mountain face. I take a moment to wonder if Polendina did this deliberately – because honestly, if Sky's Semblance was anything but super senses, he'd probably have shot me by now – and then look around for cover. I need a chance to catch my breath.

It's a bad idea to seek cover. I know it's a tactical error. With me out of the way, Polendina will be able to focus entirely on Sky without feeling the need to help our her teammate, and Soleil might even switch her attention to Sky. If I do this, if I take myself out of the fight even for a moment, my team will probably lose. The fight will be over.

I turn and I run for the shelter of the rocks.

As I duck behind one boulder, Polendina sends her swords after me, keeping me pinned down. Sky sees me going and he must have assumed I have some sort of plan, because he follows me, and ducks behind the rock next to me. I didn't see that coming, and I wonder what to do now. We're both still in the match, and since Sky is in cover, he could theoretically hold them off with Alouette indefinitely. As I lean around the rock to watch, Soleil moves up to join Polendina, who has a maniacal grin on her face. Soleil actually taps her watch. I have time to consider what an ungrateful bitch she's being, but that's my last coherent thought, because Polendina's next action… is to send the rocks flying into the air.

Fuck. _All._ The redheads.

I let out a cry as my first emotion of the day – total shock – breaks though my apathy. I never in a million years saw this coming. We hang motionless in the air for a moment, then she slams the rocks down, slamming me and Sky against the ground with them. That impact is enough to knock our Auras out, and I take a moment to reflect that even internal damage could only improve my mood right now as the buzzer sounds.

'And victory goes to Penny and Ciel of Atlas!' Oobleck announces. No fucking shit.

'Thank you for a wonderful time,' Penny says.

If I didn't know any better I swear I'd call her a smartass, but I can absolutely imagine a friend of Ruby Rose's saying that and meaning it. I raise my hand in acknowledgement – and then something strikes the top of my head and I black out.

* * *

I come to in the medbay with a throbbing headache. Cardin is leaning over me. in the bed beside me, Sky's still unconscious and Dove is hovering.

'Eugh. How long have I been out?' I croak.

'About ten minutes,' Cardin says. 'Concussion. Go figure.'

It's difficult to concentrate, but I close my eyes. After a few minutes, the throbbing in my head stills, and I feel a burning sensation in my skull that makes me suspect the concussion was incidental to at least one skull fracture.

Once the pounding in my head has subsided, I sit up.

'Better?' Cardin asks.

'Much.' It's true, too: I feel normal, physically and emotionally. That dragging resentment-tinged indifference: it's _gone._ Guess I just needed to be turned off and on again.

I reach over and grab Sky's arm. My skull throbs again, then Sky stirs and opens his eyes.

It's a real relief to be back to normal. Having said that, there's a healthy side order of guilt present. Considering I effectively just threw our match because I couldn't be fucked to keep going, I guess that's not entirely unexpected. I glance at Sky, wondering if he's realised, but his face is clear and calm. Looks like I'm off the hook.

Then why do I feel so shit about the whole thing?

'Yang stepped in to check if you were ok,' Cardin tells me. 'But she had to go to her fight. It's in a couple of minutes, if you want to watch?'

'Sure.' I get upright. 'Hey, sorry we lost the match, man,' I say to Sky.

Cardin grins. 'You put out a pretty good effort. And seriously, who knew she could lift rocks?'

'Fucking redheads,' I mutter. My guilt has doubled now, with the memories of what a dick I was to Polendina in the arena. I should ask Ruby to apologise to her for me.

This is trivial, though. One serious emotion is rising in my like a volcano. Even my guilt is being subsumed. Because however you look at it, the truth is, some random fighter thinking I'm a dick is the least of my worries.

I don't think I can use my Semblance any more.

Not safely, at least.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

'Cardin, I need to talk to you,' I say as we enter the stadium again.

'Ok, but we'll miss Yang's fight if we don't hurry.'

I open my mouth to object, but there are too many people around us, and they all seem to be looking at me. One guy wearing an Atlas uniform catches my eye, and he actually grins at me.

'What?' I snap.

Apparently he was just waiting for an opportunity. 'That was a killer fight!' he gushes.

I open my mouth to tear him a new one, but Cardin smiles back at him and the idiots actually fistbump before the dude drifts off into the crowd.

'What the fuck?' I mutter.

Cardin shrugs at me. 'What?'

This is too weird. I follow Cardin into the stands, shaking my head. We _lost_. We lost in a way that could only have been more humiliating if we had been set on fire. We got thrown into the air like puppies on the wrong end of a skipping rope. But people are looking at me and I can see the respect on their faces.

It's still not my biggest problem, though. These mood swings are terrifying me. I've only just recognised the pattern. It's infuriating, under the fear: I had actually entertained myself thinking how weird I must look to those I heal, but I had never made the connection, never wondered _why._ I had chalked it up to my own natural moodiness. But this… it's not normal. It's not natural.

I can't control myself. I keep lashing out, I keep getting depressed… I falter to a halt as I realise why these thought patterns feel so familiar.

This is how I was when Violet died.

I look into the arena. Yang and Weiss are standing there, waiting for their opponents to appear. I look away.

Maybe it's not my Semblance. I'm absorbing injuries. I'm absorbing the damage to the Aura, I'm absorbing the pain – can I be sure it's not just my sense of empathy kicking in?

It's possible. In fact it's humiliatingly obvious. Not helpful, though. Either way I can't use it! If it's something wrong with my Semblance I can't change it. If it's something wrong with me, then I still can't change it. I can't change it without turning into a sociopath!

I glance at Cardin. I want to tell him. But… he looks so happy, so content. His team's out of the running and he's still cool with it all. This is where he dreamed to be. This is the first step in becoming the person he needed to become. The world has worked itself out for him. He's strong, he's free, he's happy.

Suddenly I miss Vacuo, desperately. Not Violet, not the people – I miss the place. I miss the sun, I miss the hills, I miss the heat. I miss the burnt expanses. I miss feeling like I could breathe.

'I'm losing my accent, aren't I?' I say out loud.

'Probably. Why?'

'No reason.'

'Okaaaay…' He gives me a sceptical look. 'If you want us to stop messing with you about it, you can just tell us, you know.'

'I know.'

Cardin nods respectfully, then adds, 'But really, we're missing your girlfriend's fight.'

Weiss and the hat-wearing dude are having some sort of conversation. I can't tell what he said, but whatever it is, it's enough to fire up Yang. So, potentially anything from a sexual invitation in relation to her underage sister to a comment on the weather. Then his Faunus partner says something, and Yang starts looking furious.

'How hard is it to not pick a fight with every single person you meet?' I ask bitterly.

'Ok, one, I have no idea what you're talking about. Two...' Cardin gives me a raised eyebrow. 'Seriously, Russ? _Seriously?'_

Shit, he has a point.

Weiss and Yang aren't doing well, but there's still time. They haven't made many mistakes, but the other team is _good_. Apparently this is what actual military training will get you: an understanding of how to use the terrain to your advantage against foes who - I personally think - are much stronger than you.

Weiss finally puts her glyphs into action and starts bouncing off the dude like she's a ball in a pinball machine. He staggers, straightens, and then - fucking _multiplies._

'Son uvva bitch,' Cardin mutters. 'Fuck, you were right about there only being one type of Semblance in this Tournament, weren't you?'

'This really supports my "Yatsuhashi was just messing with Coco" theory,' I agree, temporarily distracted.

'Shit, Weiss is going to lose,' Cardin says sadly.

'Yang's still standing,' I say cheerfully. And even if she loses, at least she's one person who can't get badly injured. The thought of trying to handle Yang in the middle of one of my mood-swings is enough to genuinely terrify me, so I start to watch her trying to pummel her opponents with a light and merry heart.

And then Weiss dives headfirst into a geyser.

I stare for several minutes before a heartfelt 'Mother _fucker_ ,' slips out of my mouth.

* * *

The match ends and I watch as Yang, Ruby and Blake help Weiss into the changing room. 'Shit. Shit shitshitshitshit! Fuck!'

'Dude, I think she's fine,' Cardin says, startled.

'Uh, yeah man, I really hope so,' I babble. 'That was pretty fucking insane, Schnee, who'd've thought it?'

'Ok, you're being really weird today,' Cardin says, turning in his chair to stare at me. 'What is _up_ with you?'

I stare at his big dumb happy face, and I make my choice. 'I'm… just pissed we lost.'

'Well chill out. I'm the crazy competitive one, remember? Stop stealing my thing, or I'll have to start writing mopey poetry or something.'

I force a laugh, turning away slightly so he can't see my hand scrabbling at my scroll. 'So that was pretty cool.' It takes a few moments, but I can feel it when I finally manage to worm a fingernail under the battery casing of my scroll and lever it off. My scroll lets out a plaintive little beep as the screen dies, and I cough loudly to cover it.

'I might let them get her cleaned up before I go down,' I tell Cardin casually. Then I hesitate. 'But what if Weiss is really hurt?'

'I think they'd have called you already if it was serious. Come on. We can wait for them outside.'

'I think we should let them come to us,' I suggest. 'We don't know how long they'll be.'

Cardin gives me another look. 'You don't want to congratulate Yang?'

I hesitate. 'Yeah... I do...' Then I opt for honesty. 'Just...not…at the moment.'

'Fucking hell, Russel, it was one fight and everyone still thought it was really good!' Cardin snaps. 'You fought a chick with knives on strings and kicked her in the stomach! I saw that team fight in the first round, so did you, they were insanely good!'

'I'm going to get lunch,' I tell him coldly, standing.

He lets out a frustrated sigh. 'Hold on, I'm coming.'

I turn on my heel and stride out of the arena. Cardin follows me, still growling under his breath. As we reach the entrance, though, someone hails us.

It's Dove and Sky, and they have Ruby and Blake with them. 'We wondered where you got to!' Sky calls. 'Let's go congratulate Weiss and Yang.'

I hesitate, but Cardin is nodding. I trail along after them, thinking furiously. I'm one of six; surely if I start to feel myself lose control I can just pass the conversation to someone else? Blake is her partner and Ruby is her sister, anyway, so they'll want to talk to her first, so that will give me a chance to regain my balance.

We enter the competitors' area. Yang and Weiss are in the med bay, and my stomach lurches, but apparently they're just making sure Weiss is alright.

Yang looks up and sees us, and she smiles, and suddenly I feel perfect.

Ruby chimes in before Yang can say anything. 'You were amazing!'

'Thank, Rubes,' she says, wrapping her little sister in a cuddle.

'That was pretty crazy, Weiss,' Cardin tells her.

She smiles crookedly at him. 'I may not be singing for a while.'

I shrug at her. 'It's not like you were that good, so no real loss...'

Weiss scoffs at me, then starts coughing. She hasn't asked me for my help. Bless her and her pigheaded pride is all I can say, but I can't listen to that and not try to help. Without even thinking, I reach over and grab her shoulder. For a moment my throat burns, and I can distinctly taste soot; though I am standing quite close to her, which might explain it.

'Thank you,' she says, sounding pleased.

I clear my throat. 'No worries.'

'Hey, you're the healer?' a new voice says.

I glance over my shoulder. It's Yang and Weiss's competitors. The girl is sitting on a bench, examining her own ankle, which has been strapped. 'What gave me away?'

'Will you heal Neon?'

'I don't need to be healed, it's only just a tiny sprain,' the girl says.

'I can heal you,' I say reluctantly.

'Don't worry about it, my Aura is already dealing with it,' she says dismissively.

'Ok,' I say with considerable relief.

'What, you aren't going to start taking shots at him for healing a Schnee?' Yang demands, crossing her arms.

The guy frowns. 'I don't have to justify myself to you, blondie.'

'You want to take that tone of voice, you better _explain_ yourself,' Cardin says warningly, stepping up next to Yang.

'I don't need you to protect me,' she snaps at him.

'As a matter of principle I'm going to anyway,' he says curtly.

'Flynt here has a problem with the Schnees,' Sky tells us coldly. Flynt stares at him, startled, and Sky gives him a sharp smile. 'I heard you in the Arena. Apparently the fact that Weiss's dad drove his out of business means he can hold it against her.'

'Sky, I don't want to-' Weiss begins.

'That's crazy!' Ruby says, staring at Flynt. 'How is what her dad did her fault?'

'He drove my father out of business!' Flynt yells. 'That Dust shop was his life!'

'But that isn't Weiss's fault,' Blake says. Her tone is heavy with meaning, an expert talking about something they have a passion in. Ruby and Yang actually settle down, as do Sky and Dove. I think it actually serves to make Cardin and me angrier, though. Blake didn't hold a grudge, so who the fuck is this joker to?

There's only one answer, so Flynt decides to avoid the question. 'Look, I said her saving her partner was a gutsy move-'

'Oh wow, thank fuck she's got _your_ approval,' I say sarcastically. 'Imagine how fucking empty her life would be without it.'

'What I feel is none of your business.'

'Here's a tip on how business works: there's competition,' Cardin says, his tone deeply sarcastic.

'It's amazing you can stand so straight with that fucking _chip_ on your shoulder,' I add.

'You wanna go?' he yells.

I give him a fierce grin. ' _Blow me_.'

The Faunus girl slides off the bench and in between us. 'I'm pretty sure if we fight they'll kick us all out,' she says firmly.

Weiss grabs Cardin's arm. 'Stop it,' she says firmly. 'I'm used to people - seeing my family when they look at me.' She turns to stare at Flynt with incredible dignity. 'I appreciate my father's business practices are less than ideal. I intend to change the direction the company is taking, as soon as I get a chance.'

'You don't have to defend yourself to him,' Cardin snaps.

'He's right,' Flynt says, sounding genuinely remorseful. 'You shouldn't have to.'

There's a moment of silence, then the Faunus girl laughs. 'Geez, what are they feeding you at Beacon? You're all crazy, but in, like, the best possible way!'

'She's not wrong,' I say thoughtfully.

The Faunus girl laughs again. 'I can't wait until the end of the Tournament. The after-party should be _wild_.'

* * *

'Y'know, I sent you a couple of messages,' Yang says a few minutes later. CRDL, RWBY and JNPR have met up at that noodle booth that Yang's so fond of. Ruby, Dove and Sky are analysing the fights, Ren and Blake are talking books, Pyrrha and Jaune are talking about their families and trying to pretend they're not falling in love and Cardin and Weiss are...hmmm...talking about their families, in a very quiet way.

I make a show of checking my scroll. 'Huh. Looks like it's broken.'

'You should fix that,' Blake tells me, overhearing.

'No shit.'

'No, really. If Ozpin wants to talk to you, that's the only way he's got of finding you.'

'Uh… I'm actually probably going to quit as medic, you know.'

I try to say it casually. I fail spectacularly. Everyone breaks off their conversation and swivels to stare at me.

'Any reason?' Ren asks.

'Sure.' I take a sip of water.

'Are you planning on sharing it with us?' Yang asks tartly after a moment.

I give her a bland look. 'No.'

Funnily enough, I decided that honesty might be the best method. In a sense. If I told them not to ask, they probably wouldn't. If I tried to lie to them, I think they'd realise in an embarrassingly short amount of time.

'Any reason for _that_?'

'It's my own business.'

And then I see Yang's face and I wonder if I haven't made a tactical mistake after all.

'I kind of have to disagree,' Cardin says, giving me a squinty-eyed look. 'What gives, Russel?'

'Gives?' I say. 'I just don't want to play doctor anymore.'

Cardin and Yang both give me close looks, then they actually turn and share a glance for a moment. They're joining forces! They're joining forces against me! This is bullshit! Before they have the chance to realise their alliance, I turn to Weiss and say, 'That geyser thing was pretty cool, Weiss.'

'I'm just glad it worked.' Weiss is toying with her noodles. 'It wasn't proper form, though.'

Yang laughs, but Weiss doesn't. She's clearly thinking about something.

'I guess it doesn't matter,' Dove says, trying to lighten the mood. 'How many geysers do you get in the real world anyway?'

'Lots,' Weiss says shortly. Her reaction is so out of character that the booth does their clockwork doll thing again and turn to stare at her. She flushes, but doesn't flinch away.

We all finish our noodles in a very awkward state of silence.

* * *

'That was weird,' Dove comments as we walk away. RWBY has hung back; Weiss and Ruby aren't done with their lunch.

'I hope she's not letting that jackass get to her,' Cardin says.

'Dude, you cannot seriously think Weiss fucking Schnee needs your protection,' I say incredulously. 'I get that you felt you had to stand up for Yang 'cause she's a friend, I get that the whole chivalry thing probably works a treat with Serena, but I think that's _probably_ because she doesn't have the power to manipulate time and space.'

'Neither does Weiss,' Dove says, unfazed by the insult to his sister.

'Yet,' I say darkly.

Cardin grins sheepishly. 'Uh, yeah. I guess. And actually Serena sort of shoots me down when I try and protect her. So… honestly I don't know where that came from.'

I turn and give him a sharp look. He blushes and avoids my eye, but Sky and Dove are also closely scrutinising him.

Still, he was patient enough with me today that I decide to return the favour. 'So Yang got through, that kid Coco fought got through, and that dude who's crushing on Blake. Anyone else look good?'

'There's your little red-headed friend, of course,' Dove says maliciously.

I groan. 'Don't remind me. I'm pretty sure she wasn't even trying towards the end.' But neither was I. I quickly shift my mind away before the guilt makes me throw my noodles back up.

'She's a weird one,' Dove agrees.

'I liked her,' Sky says. 'She seemed very sweet.'

'Too good for this sinful earth,' Cardin says mockingly, jostling Sky. Sky pushes back and a few pedestrian scatter as they start wrestling. Cardin's in a weirdly good mood lately.

I hope nobody else has realised that it's because we've been spending so much time with RWBY.

* * *

Dove and Sky are clearly desperately in need of some alone time, so Cardin and I hit the gym. As we pump weights, I start to pump him about what's on my mind.

'So… You and Weiss, huh?'

I shouldn't have said that just as he's starting a bicep curl. He drops the weight and it almost lands on his feet. 'What? No!' he says guiltily, then looks around to see if anyone has heard us.

I've actually lured us to a quiet corner of the gym on purpose. Now I tilt my head at him. 'Relax, dude, I'm just curious.'

He looks sheepish. 'I just… I never see Serena, and when I do, there's never anything to _talk_ about.'

'I've seen you guys a couple times,' I say, trying to be non-judgemental. 'I thought you were talking alright.'

'Yeah, but that's only because we don't know anything about each other's lives.' He concentrates on stacking weights. 'Look, I'm not trying to push the poor-little-me button, but seriously, I've only ever been a rich single child. I'm starting to feel like we don't have conversations as much as we do exposition.'

Now it makes sense. 'Ok, I get it,' I say. 'Whereas you and Weiss kind of had similar lives.'

Cardin shoots me a grateful look, then his face falls. 'I'm not going to do anything,' he says bluntly. 'She's pretty wrapped up in that blue-haired dude. But it's like – at least now I kind of know what I want, I guess. So maybe I can find it somewhere else.'

Normally I would make a crack about how common impossibly wealthy, stunningly gorgeous, insanely powerful Huntresses are, but that would be like curb-stomping a kitten. He looks so _sad_. 'Cardin, whoever you find will be lucky to have you,' I say with as much sincerity as I can muster.

He shoots me a grateful little grimace, but I can tell I haven't exactly helped. Cardin wants what he can't have, maybe for the first time in his life, and it's hurting him.

'Are you going to, y'know, end it with Serena?' I ask eventually.

'I don't know,' he admits. 'I don't have anything else to do…' Cardin peters to a halt and I know he's seen my face. 'I don't mean it like that,' he says hurriedly. 'I just mean – uh…'

'Ok, I gotta be honest,' I say firmly, 'I think dating a girl when you don't really like her is a bit of a dick move.'

'Well, you're not the one dating the girl,' Cardin says, firing up.

'That doesn't make it any less of a dick move.' We glare at each other for a couple of seconds then I look away. 'Whatever,' I say. He knows what I feel, and really, it's not my business. 'Good luck either way, man.'

'You really should fix your scroll,' is all he says in response.

'You're not the boss of me.'

'Kind of am.'

'Shut up, Cardin.'

He hesitates. 'So want to tell me what's up with you?'

'Shut up, Cardin.'

He shuts up.

* * *

I arranged to meet Yang at the fairgrounds that afternoon, before the single rounds. I'm surprised she didn't blow me off, actually, given how badly lunch turned out. I'm glad she didn't, though: the market turns out to be beautiful, all of the stalls lit by coloured lanterns, the shadows soft and velvety and the grass, which is slightly damp, like it's been scattered with stars.

It's a day of weird moods. I expect Yang to be mad at me, but she's shrugged off lunch, and when I meet her she just grins at me. I raise a pleased eyebrow. 'What's put you in such a good mood?'

'I just can't wait for tonight!'

I watch her beam and my heart skips a beat. 'I can't wait to watch you.'

Her face softens and she turns to me. 'I'm sorry about you and Dove.'

'Eh. Best team won. Actually, that redhead said she was a friend of your sister's. She was super weird, so I believed her. Does that make me a bad person?'

Yang throws her head back and laughs and I grin at her delight. Hand in hand, we wander among the stalls.

'So what are you going to do if you have to fight Blake's boyfriend in the finals?' I ask.

Yang shrugs at me, all rippling hair and confidence. 'Beat him. What else?'

I grin. 'What if he beats you? He's tangled pretty well so far.'

Yang smirks. 'He's going to have to do better than that to beat me.'

'Imagine if Blake ended up having to fight him.'

Yang bursts out laughing. 'I think they'd just let their clones do the fighting.'

'It'd be pretty insane, though,' I say thoughtfully. 'I actually reckon Sun would win. He hits harder than Blake.'

'I think Blake would win if she used Dust,' Yang says. Then she makes a tiny little face.

'What?'

'Oh… the guy we were fighting. He kept taking shots at Weiss because her father forced his father out of business.' She shakes her head. 'What sort of person blames someone for what their family did?'

I shrug at her. 'Tonnes of people. How many wars would there be if people _didn't_ carry chips on their shoulders? I think it's just human nature.'

'I just don't understand it.'

'You're talking to the wrong person,' I say casually. 'My parents didn't leave any enemies. Neither did my granny. You should ask Cardin.'

'Cardin?' Yang looks startled, and after a minute I realise that she has no idea who Cardin's father is. People don't; Papa Winchester is, after all, a behind-the-scenes kind of guy.

'Sure,' I say instantly. 'If anyone knows about holding dumb grudges it's him.'

'Y'know, I know you're lying,' she says, grinning.

I'm totally taken by surprise. 'Aah… what?'

She wags a mocking finger at me. 'That's not what you were thinking when you mentioned Cardin.'

I must look like a fish. 'I used to be able to lie,' I say mournfully after a minute.

Yang laughs. 'Sorry. But I think you've lost your touch.'

I leer at her. 'Want to find out for sure?' I ask in the sleaziest voice possible.

'Maybe later,' Yang smirks. 'Until then, you're in trouble for trying to lie to me.'

'Well…' I step forwards and kiss her. 'I can make up for that.'

We kiss for a few minutes. A few passing students laugh and offer suggestions, but we ignore them. Finally Yang pulls away.

'That was fun,' she says.

'Sometimes I think you just want me for my body,' I say mournfully. She tries to kick me, but I move my leg out of the way. 'Gonna have to work harder on your foot speed if you want to beat Wukong…'

She pokes her tongue out at me. She's triggered a line of thought, though. I watch the lights ripple in her hair.

'Y'know, I don't think Beacon's system of random team allocation works. If you think about it, it doesn't actually match strengths. Sometimes it does, but only ever by accident. I'm one speedster in a team of tanks. You're sort of one tank in a team of speedsters. Every single person in RWBY can use their Semblance in battle and almost nobody in CRDL can.'

'And?'

'I just can't help but feel that if Ozpin had just taken a couple of minutes out of his day to actually plan teams, skills and talents would be much more widely balanced.'

'Probably had to get coffee instead.'

'Isn't that what he has Goodwitch for?'

Yang snorts. 'Would _you_ ask her to get you coffee?'

'I'm not her employer.'

'Still.'

'Probably not,' I admit. 'I'd be too afraid she'd throw it into my face.'

As we round a corner, I catch sight of Octavia a few metres away. I raise my hand in a casual greeting, which she returns, then we pass out of each other's view. I wouldn't have thought about it if Yang hadn't given me a curious look.

'What?' I ask.

'I was just wondering… you've never actually told me what Violet was like. What sort of person was she?'

I frown slightly, but it's a fair question. 'I guess …she was a long-range fighter. She didn't put herself out there as much, in combat or in life. She was pretty reserved – kind of like Blake, but a little less composed. But really smart. And I guess she took things more seriously than you did.'

Yang doesn't respond, but the day is rapidly losing its glamour for me. I hasten to call back some better memories. 'I actually asked her how she and Octavia became friends once, because they hadn't gone to school together and Violet kind of stuck to the friends she knew. She told me that Octavia had actually fallen on her, and then spent six months making friends with Violet so that it wouldn't be awkward.'

'That sounds like something Ruby would do,' Yang offers.

I shake my head 'I'm not telling it well. It was funnier when…' I trail off. When Violet was alive and laughing, when Octavia was seated at the table with us, pantomiming her fall, complete with facial expressions and her heartfelt apologies that Violet, even in the retelling, kept trying to ward off with raised hands. 'Never mind. Anyway, what about the guys you've dated? What were they like?'

Yang shrugs. 'Boring. None of them ever stayed around.'

My lips twitch. 'Oh yeah? Ran out of steam?'

Yang pushes me. 'Shut up. Honestly, I think my dad scared them off…'

I burst out laughing. 'You're kidding? What did he do, pop up behind them with no warning?'

'He kept exploding things, then giving them significant looks,' Yang sighs.

I lose it, and have to lean against a wall to catch my breath. 'I'm not surprised. He seemed like that sort of guy when we met him.'

'What do you mean? You only spoke to him for ten seconds.'

Shit. 'Yeah, and he was giving me suspicious looks the whole time,' I say lightly, trying to pass it off. 'I think he could tell I was into you.' Yang gives me a thoughtful look, but I haven't technically lied.

Fuck me, what's wrong with my life? What has it come to when the best I can say is I haven't told an outright lie to the girl I'm currently dating?

'When do you want to get to the Arena?' I ask.

'We've got some time,' she tells me.

I shake my head firmly. 'You should get to the Arena,' I tell her. 'You need to get into the zone.'

Yang sniffs. 'I'm always in the zone.'

'You're always ready to break someone's legs?' I ask with a snort of laughter.

She grins. ' _Always_.'

'You know that's not a good thing, right?' I ask mockingly.

She elbows me. 'Speak for yourself. Some people need their legs broken. It was what we were going to do to Cardin, y'know.'

'Point,' I admit. 'But still. Let's go to the Arena. I want a good seat.'

We turn a corner, and I stop dead. Onyx Quarry is standing there, examining a booth selling pocket knives. He looks up, and sees me, and his hand tightens around the knife he's holding.

'Quarry,' I say, glancing around to make sure we're in plain view. Not that that would stop a psychopath like him, but at least there'll be plenty of people to file a police report.

'Thrush,' he says. His eyes flick to Yang. 'This your piece?'

'You want to say that again?!' Yang demands. Quarry grins, scenting blood in the water.

'Ignore him,' I say to her. 'He's just sore that I beat him like he owes me money. It's just like old times, really. Remember how I broke a tray across your face that one time, Quarry? That was pretty fun, not gonna lie.'

Quarry's eye twitches. 'I remember.'

I smirk at him and start walking to pass him. 'Shame I wasn't using my Semblance back then. I could have straightened out that bump in your nose for you.'

He twitches again, but Yang is clearly boiling for a fight, and he is badly, badly outnumbered. He lets us pass, watching us all the way.

'Motherfuck,' I mutter when we're out of earshot. 'I cannot _wait_ for that psychopath to get on the other side of the continent again.'

'Why do you keep needling him, then?' Yang demands.

'Excuse me? I'm not the one who considers breaking people's legs!'

'Yes, but I don't actually _do_ it!'

'Yet,' I retort.

She elbows me. 'Just leave him alone and he'll go away.'

'People like him don't "go away", except in the sense that they get "put away",' I say, making quote marks with my fingers. 'I'm just waiting for him to go to jail for murdering someone.'

'Then at least make sure it's not you,' Yang tells me.

I leave Yang at the door to the contestant's room with a final, burning kiss. Wukong, inside, wolf-whistles, but I flip him the bird and finish kissing Yang. 'Hey,' I say softly, resting my forehead against hers. 'Whatever happens – leave 'em blinded.'

She grins at me. 'You know it.' Then she turns and strides into the room to wait with the others.

The seating isn't open just yet, so I go and loiter around outside with the rest of our teams. Ruby is almost hopping up and down on one foot. She's so psyched, it's adorable. Blake and Weiss aren't much better, but at least they're quieter about it.

'This is going to be so great!' Ruby crows. 'Oh man, I can't wait!'

'You didn't want to enter yourself?' I ask her.

She shakes her head. 'Yang is a much better fighter than I am. She's going to be so amazing!'

I open my mouth to respond, but then something brushes past me. I turn to check who it is, but there's nobody there.

Suddenly my scroll beeps. I check it, and frown. It's a message from Yang: a terse _I need to talk to you._

I glance around. 'Hey, Cardin, save me a seat.'

He frowns. 'Where are you going?'

'Bathroom,' I say, turning to saunter off. If Yang is having nerves – though I can't imagine why – I don't think she'd want me to broadcast it.

I quicken my pace once I'm out of their sight. It's only a few corridors to the competitor's quarters. As I hurry towards where I left Yang, I pass very few people in the corridors. The matches are going to start any minute now, and there's no way of telling who'll be up first. What's Yang playing at?

The side of my head explodes in pain and I go down like a puppet whose strings have been cut. I can't think; I can barely breathe. Something strikes me again and this time I feel it, two consecutive blows that are somehow familiar.

I hit the wall, bounce off, and something lands in the centre of my back, crushing me against the floor. Nothing is making sense; I can't focus my eyes. My Semblance is screaming into action, but there's so much damage. I wasn't prepared, my defences weren't up, I was wide open, and now it feels like something has snapped me in half like a popsicle stick.

Suddenly strikes are raining down on me. I curl into a ball, trying to take them on my limbs, but whoever's hitting me knows what they're doing. They hit the back of my neck, then another impact on my temple.

My body relaxes out of its foetal position, and my eyes slide open. There's a foot coming at my face, and then all I can see are stars cascading through space, light dancing in eternity.


	39. Chapter 39

**Merry Christmas, and sorry for the wait!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine**

Nobody comes.

It's a truth of life. When you're hurting, when you're weak, nobody comes. You need to summon them. You need to call out. If they see strength – or if they don't see weakness – nobody will come to help you. Even if they do, a lot of the time? They still won't.

Nobody came.

I come to my senses to find myself walking along a corridor. I pause, and sway, looking around me. I haven't made it far, if the gratuitous splashes of blood on the wall are any indication. My Semblance is working, I can feel it. But even so, every part of my body is in pain from what was a truly thorough beating. My eyes won't exactly focus, and I can only imagine what the hall looks like now. Probably like a grenade has gone off in here. This is going to be hella traumatic for the first person to walk through here. How am I upright? Why am I upright?

The first person to walk through here is Octavia Ember.

'Hey, 'Tavia,' I croak.

'Oh my god! Russel!' she screams. 'Oh my god, what happened? Nebula, get down here, I need you!'

'Eugh,' I mutter. 'That bad?'

She seizes my arm and takes most of my weight, staggering only slightly. 'Hold still, you moron! Sit down!'

'Hold still, sit down, make up your mind, would you?' I demand.

In response, she forces me against the wall, using her body to hold mine in place. 'Russel, stop!' She reaches up and runs an anxious hand over my face, trying to see if anything is broken.

I hear footsteps, then Nebula Violette's furious voice. 'OCTAVIA! You do NOT need me for THIS!'

'Look at the walls, you stupid bitch!' Octavia yells. Wow, girls are _mean._ I never called Cardin a stupid bitch. Though now I want to at least once, just to see his reaction.

'Oh my god!' Nebula sprints over. 'What _happened_?'

My head is still swimming. 'Get your redhead off me!'

'Why haven't you healed?' Nebula demands.

'I _am_ healing,' I snap. 'There's just - a lot to work through.' A terrifying amount to work through. Anyone else would be dead, I think. I blink once or twice. I can see, though for a few minutes it's blurry and unfocussed. My scroll has been ripped off my wrist. My broken wrist, incidentally. It's lying a few feet away, and it's covered in blood. I was right about what a mess this place is, now. Who would have thought I had that much blood in me?

'Ok. Uh...' Nebula is clearly thinking hard. 'Hmmm. Octavia, do you think you're strong enough to fix it?'

'Fix what?' I ask warily, craning my head to try and see what they're talking about. Octavia shifts, so that all I will be able to see is her cleavage, and I hastily subside, glancing away. She grins up at me, trying to hide her fear behind a wide smile. 'You always were too easy.'

I narrow my eyes. 'Octavia. Nebula. You have less than ten seconds to tell me what the FUCK is going on before I start beating the answers out of you.'

'That is the most unlikely thing I've heard today, and an Atlas boy told me he could make my dreams come true earlier,' Octavia says dryly.

'Oct,' Nebula says softly. 'Get off him.'

The smile drains from her. Not meeting my eyes, she slides backwards, gesturing at my arm with a limp hand.

I prop myself up on my elbows, and feel my mouth drop open.

So, that's bone. Like, all of it, sticking out of my skin.

I actually feel nauseous for a moment.

'Ah...Octavia...will you call Cardin?' I ask in a soft voice.

'That'd be Winchester?' Nebula asks in a business-like tone.

'Mm-hmm.' I lean back very carefully. 'Could you tell him it's urgent?'

'Oh, I have,' she says in a grim tone. 'So...how've you been liking the festival?'

'Oh...it's fine,' I say faintly. 'Y'know...Up 'til now...'

'Is it worth asking what happened?'

'Sure. Go ahead, Nebula. I clearly know WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!' Nebula raises an eyebrow at me. I sigh. 'Sorry. It's been a long day.'

'It's not over yet,' Nebula mutters.

It's surprising how awkward a silence can be when you're sharing it in a hallway covered with your blood with two girls with whom you used to go to school. To nobody's surprise, Octavia is driven to break it within thirty seconds.

'I can't believe you walked into an ambush,' she says, sounding like the words are being torn out of her.

'Way to victim-blame,' I snap.

'We're Hunters, we aren't _supposed_ to be _victims_!'

'You know what? You can get fu–'

'That's enough,' Nebula says sharply. 'But she's right, Russel, you should have realised this would happen.'

'How could I have realised this would happen?' I yell. 'I was coming to talk to my girlfriend, I didn't expect to get the shit beaten out of me!'

'If you're going to pick a fight with a psychopath like Quarry you can't be surprised when he beats the shit out of you!' she snaps back. 'I didn't warn you in advance just so that you could _lose!'_

'No, you warned me because you fucking _owed_ me!' I yell back.

'Keep your voices down, both of you!' Octavia hisses. 'Where the hell did that Cardin guy go?'

Right on cue, the sound of running footsteps hits my ears, and Cardin skids to a halt, his eyes fixed on me. 'What. The FUCK? Russel!'

'Y'know, I'm not going to lie, it'd be real nice if people stopped acting like this was MY FAULT!' I yell back. Then I gesture at him with my broken arm. Octavia and Nebula both turn away, clapping their hands over their mouths. 'But, ah, would you give me a hand?'

He lets out a horrified jolt of laughter, and claps his own hand over his mouth. 'There is something very fucking wrong with you,' he breathes.

'While we're young, Cardin!' I bark.

He reaches out, looking nauseated, but before he can touch me, the bone and flesh glow green. When the light fades, my arm is completely normal again.

'Guess I finally got to that entry on the list,' I comment.

 _'WHAT HAPPENED?'_ Cardin roars, taking a steps towards Octavia and Nebula with his fists clenched.

' _Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?_ ' a new voice yells.

'Uh oh,' Nebula whispers.

'What. The _fuck_. Now?' I yell, spinning around.

Oh, right. The cops. Both of whom have their weapons pointing at us all.

For a moment it doesn't make sense, then I realise what they're seeing: me, against the wall, bloody and beaten, Octavia, smeared with blood, Nebula standing there defensively and Cardin looking furious.

It doesn't help when I start laughing, but at least I feel better about my day.

Y'know, the tiniest little bit.

* * *

'I _never_ want to have to do that again,' Cardin says.

'Well that sounded pretty heartfelt,' I croak. 'Funnily enough, I am in total fucking agreement.'

'At least your arm is straight again, Russel,' Nebula says, sounding subdued.

'I am _so_ thrilled by it,' I agree bitchily. We all know that for a fact because the cops cuffed us all before they called for reinforcements to march us off to the closest security checkpoint.

'Don't take that tone with us,' Octavia says sharply. 'This isn't our fault!'

'Quarry,' Nebula mutters under her breath. I shake my head at her again, and flick my eyes at the cops in the room. She frowns at me.

'You have no proof,' I whisper.

'Unless you tell them what you expect, we never will,' she hisses back.

'Russel's not planning on asking for help,' Cardin says, watching me through narrowed eyes. Traitor. Though to be fair, both Nebula and Octavia look entirely unsurprised by this. Of course, they did know me _before_ Beacon mellowed me out.

'I'll _deal_ with it,' I insist.

'Best two out of three?' Nebula raises an eyebrow.

That's actually a pretty solid burn. I give up on topping it and turn to Cardin. He doesn't seem like he's entirely paying attention. 'What's up, man?'

'Do you...Does it look to you guys like these people have bigger problems? Than us?' Cardin asks.

We all examine our custodians. They had started checking our identities, but those papers lie forgotten on the table, and they're all huddled over a monitor, talking to each other in low and urgent voices. One is scanning his scroll continuously, flicking from message to message, shaking his head in response to his friends' low-voiced questions. Their body language is tight and urgent, and none of them are so much as looking at the gaggle of students they hauled in on suspicion of brawling.

'Think we can make a break for it?' I ask.

Cardin and Octavia elbow me from either side at the same time.

'Hey, what's going on?' I call to the guards. 'What's happening?'

'None of your business, kid,' one of them calls back briskly.

'It doesn't matter, it was frickin' broadcast,' her partner says in a low tone. 'Just an accident at the arena,' he calls to us.

'Accident my a- foot,' the cop exclaims, censoring herself at the last minute with a glance at us. Aw, that's sweet. 'That crazy little trigger-happy freak blew his knees in!'

'Wait, if there's an injury, I'm a medic,' I say, rising to my feet.

The female cop grabs me by the shoulder and thrusts me down. 'Well, you're ten frickin' minutes too late, kid. They've already shipped the fighter in question to the nearest hospital. Besides, if you're a medic, how did you not get the call?'

A sinking stone in my stomach reveals itself as guilt. Cardin, Nebula and Octavia are all looking at me now, their eyes full of curiosity. 'Scroll was broken,' I manage to get out.

The cop gives me a look so full of disbelief that I almost flinch. 'You're not serious.'

'And why weren't you at the fight?' her partner chimes in.

'I got –' I stop short, and the cop gives me a scornful look. They think this was some sort of fight and we're all just covering for each other, but that's not what's just struck me. I got a message from Yang...but how?

'What fighter got hurt?' Cardin says urgently, and I suddenly remember that both Yang and Pyrrha are fighting. The burning feeling increases and I decide not to open my mouth unless I absolutely have to. I'm afraid of throwing up, screaming, crying, or all at once.

'Grey-haired kid, fights with his legs,' the female cop said briefly. 'Mercer Black.'

'Mercury,' her partner corrected.

I exhale in relief, and then immediately feel guilty for it. Still, it's not like there can be much damage, or they really would have just tanked him up on painkillers and kept him here for me to heal. I fixed Cardin's broken arm on international television, two knees couldn't be that hard.

'And who was the fighter who made the attack?' Nebula asks, out of idle curiosity.

'She's in custody,' the female cop says briefly. 'And not your concern. You have bigger problems.'

'Officer, we weren't brawling, I swear,' Octavia says earnestly. 'Russel was attacked by someone, Nebula and I were just trying to help him.'

'Seem to be a lot of random assaults going on at the moment,' the male cop says a bit bitchily. 'And I find it strangely convenient that you told us that right after we told you something similar had happened in the ring. And, of course, there's the matter of the _anonymous tip we got telling us there were a bunch of students brawling!_ '

'I am the _only_ one who's bloody,' I say, having finally run out of patience. Cardin and Octavia elbow me again and I moderate my tone. 'Some asshole jumped me, and suddenly _I'm_ in trouble? This is bullshit!'

The cops leaned back and gave me a thoughtful look. It's true; apart from some contact smears on Octavia, I am the only one covered in blood. 'Alright,' the male cop says thoughtfully. 'You three, show me your hands.'

They offer their hands palm-up, looking confused. Oh, sweet innocents; I can tell this is the first time they've ever been hauled in for brawling. 'He wants to see your knuckles,' I tell them helpfully.

Nebula gives me a resigned look. 'Of course you know that.' They rotate their hands, and the cops take a close look.

'No marks,' the male cop admits.

'Although the green-haired kid is a healer,' the female cop says thoughtfully.

'No way!' I exclaim. 'You can't say we were fighting and then I healed them mid-way for shits and giggles!'

The male cop rubs his head. I hope it hurts as much as mine does right now. 'You still need to log the assault charge.'

'No I don't,' I say smugly. 'I have the option of filing a report and pressing charges. I'm a victim; I don't have to do shit!'

Octavia and Nebula wince, and Cardin groans out loud, but the cops exchange a thoughtful look.

The female turns to me and raises a warning finger at all four of us. 'You don't have to file a report, but I _can._ It will have all of your names in there, and all of the details we know, and I'm even going to slip in a nice little sheet of paper with all of my own personal suspicions. And if I see _any_ of you here again, I'm going to pull out my nice neat little report and you are going to be in so much trouble that Yang Xiao Long is going to feel like she got off lucky after crippling someone on international television.' Her eyes narrow. ' _Am I understood?_ '

What?

'No,' I breathe. Her face darkens, and she opens her mouth, but I'm not the only one. Octavia and Cardin's eyes open wide.

' _Yang_?' Cardin gasps. 'Fuck off, no way!'

'Language!' the female cop barks.

'She wouldn't!' Cardin insists. 'No way in hell, seriously, she wouldn't do that! Yang is excitable but she's not a total psychopath!'

'Nobody's quite sure what happened, kid,' the male cop begins soothingly.

'The hell we don't,' the female cop snorted. As Octavia opens her mouth to comment, the female cop raises her finger. 'Why are you all still here?'

I meet the female cop's eyes, smile, give her partner a civil nod, and lead the way out of the room. Outside, I turn to Cardin, Nebula and Octavia.

'Thank you,' I say quietly, 'For your help.'

Before anyone can respond, I turn, and I run.

* * *

I have enough presence of mind to stick to the maintenance corridors. I doubt anyone would be impressed by a running, blood-stained man. Even so, I make better time to RWBY's dorm room than ever before.

Once there, I begin knocking, then banging, then slamming my fist against the door. They last all of three minutes before they open up to face the music.

'We _don't_ want – Russel?' Weiss rears back in shock, her proper-young-lady reserve slipping away.

I barge past her and skitter to a halt just inside the doorway. Ruby is pacing, and Blake is curled up in the corner of her bunk. I open my mouth, and nothing comes out. I stare at them helplessly. Weiss shuts the door. The sound shocks me out of my blank.

'What _happened_?' It comes out as a whisper.

Ruby looks up at me. 'We don't know.'

'Why are you bloody?' Weiss demands.

'As if _that's_ the important thing!' I exclaim.

'Russel, are you alright?' Ruby asks in alarm, apparently having just noticed my sorry state. 'What happened?' That question seems to be going around a lot right now. Maybe if someone could actually _answer_ it...

'I'm fine, I just got in a fight...' I say absently.

'What?' Blake hisses, uncurling like a snake. 'You _got_ in a _fight_?'

We all turn to stare at her. She looks enraged. 'This is not–' I begin.

'SHE NEEDED YOU!' Blake screamed. Everyone flinches at the sudden increase in noise. 'YOU SHOULD HAVE HEALED HIM! THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HAD BEEN THERE TO HEAL HIM!'

My first mistake is bringing logic to a crazy-fight. 'Yang wouldn't have broken some dude's kneecaps if I had been there to heal those broken kneecaps?' I can't believe what I'm hearing. And from Blake? She's meant to be the sensible one!

'THIS IS YOUR FAULT!' Blake yells.

My second is not realising there's something more at work here. 'She's your fucking partner! She's your responsibility, so you know what, Blake? _Get fucked_ ,' I yell, and turn to Ruby. 'Ruby, what _happened_?'

My third mistake is taking my eye off Blake. She lets out a shriek of rage, and she tackles me.

We both bounce to the floor. I kick her off me without even thinking, then roll to my feet, staring at her in shock. 'What the hell is your problem, you cow?' I shout.

'Stop it!' Weiss exclaims, jumping between Blake and me. 'What is wrong with you?' This is, luckily, directed at Blake. If _one more person_ blames me for something I have no control over, I really am going to lose my temper.

'Yang needed you!' Blake says. She sounds like she's on the verge of tears. 'We called for you! You didn't even get your scroll fixed. YOU'RE MEANT TO BE A MEDIC!'

'I don't understand what happened!' I yell back. 'None of this makes any _sense_!' I remember what I said earlier, and decide to elaborate. 'She's _your_ partner! And your sister! And your friend!'

'So this is _our_ fault?' Weiss demands.

' _Someone_ has to know what–'

They do say repeating something and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity: I look away from Blake to speak to Weiss. Blake seizes Weiss' shoulder and uses it to leap up into the air and drive her boot directly into my face.

Weiss staggers to the side and Blake kicks out again. I block this one, seize her ankle, and toss her away. She writhes in mid-air, lands against the door, then launches forward. I flip backwards and seize a bed post in passing, swinging around it and hitting Blake in the ribs with both boots. Blake hits the ground and rolls, then flips to her feet charges at me. I land and toss a chair between us but she kicks it back at my face.

At that, I decide Blake has forfeited any consideration I might owe her.

I grab the chair and swing it at her head. She ducks under it and punches me in the stomach, then goes for another strike. I grab her arm with one hand, but it's a trick; the clone disappears in my grasp as the real thing slides under my guard and punches me in the jaw.

I don't know why female fighters insist on long hair. It makes it very easy for someone to do what I do, which is seize her hair and yank her off balance, then drop to the floor and sweep her feet out from underneath her. Blake is speed; I've got strength. She falls to the floor; I fall with her, and land full on her back, crushing her against the ground.

Before she has a chance to regather herself, I leap to my feet, seize Ruby by the hood and swing her out in front of me like an offering to a vengeful god.

For a moment the tableau hovers: Weiss, in the corner; Blake, rising up ready to pounce, and me, using a fifteen-year-old as a human shield.

'Fuck my life,' I say out loud.

Ruby lets out a nervous giggle.

The anger dies out of Blake's eyes, and she gets to her feet. I release Ruby, and slump down on Yang's bed, back against the wall. Blake seats herself across from me on her bed. Ruby and Weiss just stand there, staring at their crazy people.

'So no good reason, then?' I ask softly.

' _None_ ,' Blake says in a voice of heartbreak. 'Yang wouldn't _do_ that.'

'But she did,' I whisper back, and bury my face in my hands. I have to face it, but I can't: the girl I love, the girl Blake loves, the girl who saved us from ourselves, the girl who's sunshine, who lifted us from the shadows... that girl crippled an innocent fighter after she already had victory in her hands.

I can't say it out loud, and neither can Blake. We scream and rage and shriek and howl, but in our souls is a thundering silence and around us, truth rings like a silver bell, a mourning bell: _Yang did this. Yang struck him. Yang is not who you knew._

 _Yang just might be a monster._

* * *

We sit in silence for five minutes before I decide this is solving nothing. 'Do you know when they'll release her?' I ask in a rough voice.

'We don't know that they will,' Ruby says. 'I asked, and they wouldn't tell me anything. They couldn't.' Oh god, that's the saddest thing I ever saw: Ruby, clinging to her leadership of RWBY even as everything crumbles beneath her. My heart breaks at her courage.

'I should go find the others,' I say randomly. 'I should leave you guys alone.' I get to my feet, and Blake mirrors me. For a moment I think she's going to punch me again, but then she steps up and hugs me, briefly.

Girls are weird, but I hug her back, feeling one of her ears brush my chin. Her hair smells like raspberries. Yang smells better, but it's nice to have some human contact. Faunus contact. Whatever.

Apparently Ruby gets jealous, because as Blake steps away, she steps up and hugs me around the waist as well. I pat the top of her head, and raise an eyebrow at Weiss, who crosses her arms. 'Don't even _think_ about it,' she says, tilting her nose in the air.

'Wasn't gonna,' I say, spreading my hands innocently with a weak parody of my usual grin. I turn and slip out of the room, but just as the door is about to close behind me, it opens again and Weiss slips out after me.

'I'm coming too,' she announces.

'The time for hugs has passed.'

'This is no time for _jokes_!' she exclaims.

If not now, then when? I give her an irritated look. 'I don't need an escort, I know my way to my dorm.'

'I'm not doing it for _you_ ,' she says impatiently.

'You're right. For a moment there I forgot who I was talking to.'

She sniffs at me as we start walking. 'You know, you still haven't told us why you're all bloody.'

'Someone attacked me,' I say with a sigh. 'I know who it is, though, and trust me, he's _dead_.'

'So that's why you weren't at the fight?'

'I – no...' I frown slightly. 'I thought Yang wanted to talk to me. She sent me a message asking me to meet her.'

'She didn't mention that,' Weiss says, surprised.

I shrug. 'Something weird is going on. My scroll was broken, like not working _at all_. Unless it was some weird echo, like some past message I sent. Or maybe I'm just going mad and seeing things.'

Weiss mumbles something under her breath. It sounds suspiciously like, 'You're not the only one.'

I hesitate, then I reach out and grip her shoulder. She looks up at me and gives me a startled look.

'It'll be alright,' I say awkwardly.

'How?' she whispers.

'We're all still alive,' I say with a shrug. 'It could be worse.'

Weiss grimaces. 'That's true.' She gives me a sad smile.

When we reach my room, we find Cardin pacing a hole in the floor, Sky and Dove by his side. He looks up as I unlock the door, then takes two long steps and drives his fist into my stomach. I choke, and drop to my knees. 'You son of a whore!' he yells at me, then looks up. 'Ah. Oh.'

'Hi, Weiss,' Dove says ironically from his bed.

'I... guess I... deserved... that,' I wheeze. Oh god, talking is pain.

'You absolutely did,' Weiss says severely from above my head.

Cardin turns and storms away, his fists clenched. 'What the fuck is wrong with you!' It's not a question, and I don't bother answering. Also, y'know, I physically can't. Weiss steps over me and nudges the door closed. Sky obligingly moves his feet to give her somewhere to sit, and she perches herself demurely on the end of his bed and settles in to watch the show.

There is no show. Six months ago Cardin would have beaten me like a drum, and anyone who tried to stop him, and anyone who looked at him funny, or at all. Now, he props his hands on his hips, and inhales deeply. 'I'm not apologising,' he tells me.

I slump back against the door. 'Fair enough.'

'Weiss.' Cardin turns to her. ' _Why_ are you _here_?'

'I want to speak to Sky.'

We all turn to look at Sky. Sky looks startled. 'Me? Why?'

'You were watching the fight,' Weiss says intently. 'You _saw_ Yang attack that boy.' She raises her eyebrow. 'What did you see?'

'Your Semblance,' I breathe. 'Weiss, you magnificent _bitch_!'

She turns to me, looking indignant, but I scramble to my feet, seize her face, and kiss her on both cheeks. Then I turn to Sky, before Weiss can gather herself enough to turn me into a Russcicle. 'Dude! What _did_ you see?'

Sky stares at his hands, frowning. 'I can't tell you two what you want to hear. None of this makes any more sense. But...Yang looked...surprised.'

'Tell them the whole thing,' Dove prompts, when Sky trails off. Sky gives him a plaintive look, but Dove shrugs at him and shakes his head. 'C'mon, Sky,' he says softly. 'All of it.'

'What?' I insisted.

'They talked, before the match,' Sky says slowly. 'Yang made a joke about him not going easy on her. And he was holding back at first, I noticed that much. But only after he stopped. Yang almost knocked him out of the ring, and he amped it up like crazy. That's all I can tell you for sure; I don't know the guy well enough to read him. I don't know what's normal to him. I can tell you Yang thought she had won. She was relaxed; she was happy and proud. When she turned back to look at him, she looked surprised, like she was turning because of something. Thenshe got angry, and she hit him. But after that...' He took a deep breath. 'I'm so sorry, but she looked even more proud. And happy. She looked _righteous_.

'And she told him... she said "that's what you get."'

* * *

Weiss thanks him before she leaves. Of course she does. Ruby becomes the leader, Blake becomes the fighter, and Weiss becomes the proper little lady. Once she's gone, I slump back on my bed.

'What are you going to do?' Cardin asks finally.

'What is there to do?' I ask, shrugging.

'That's why I asked,' he says. 'I know your plotting face, dude. You're planning _something_ , and there's nothing left to do. Nothing good,' he corrects himself. 'So yeah, that's why I'm asking. What the _fuck_ are you planning?'

'Bearing in mind that all three of us will join forces to physically keep you in this room if you _don't_ tell us,' Sky adds.

'And that we totally can,' Dove agrees. 'Also, you can't lie to my boyfriend.'

'I'm not going to do anything major!' I object. 'I'm _just_ going to beat Onyx Quarry until he's the sort of puddle not even _I_ can fix.' A huge, feral grin splits my face, despite my best efforts of stopping it.

My team exchange wary looks. 'We don't know that's the dude who did it,' Dove points out.

'Who the fuck else would it be?' I bark, rising up.

'And what _else_?' Cardin demands.

Damn him. We have been spending far too much time together. 'We should consider a trial separataion.'

'Don't fucking _try_ it, Russel, I am not in the mood.'

Ok, so Ruby isn't the only one who can pull the leader shit at will these days. 'Something doesn't make sense,' I admit.

'What?' Dove asks.

' _Something_ ,' I say, irritated. 'If I knew what the fuck it was, it would be something rather than _something_.'

'Can't argue with that logic,' Dove says dryly.

Someone knocks on the door. 'Fuck, can we not open it?' I ask, leaning back in exhaustion. 'I am so _done_ talking to people.'

The door slams open, and Goodwitch steps in, her hands on her hips. 'Your attitude is noted, Mr Thrush,' she says, her face incredibly cold. 'Unfortunately, Professor Ozpin wishes to speak to you. _Now._ '

* * *

So it makes sense to me that Ozpin wants to chew me out. The only question I really have is why it took him so long.

No, that's not true: the other question I have is why it's really, really necessary to have my entire team there for it.

CRDL lines up in front of Ozpin's desk, and I begin a mental tally of all the times we've been in here. They're surprisingly few, considering the shit we got up to in our first semester. He looks at us all, steeples his fingers, and points them at me.

'Mr Thrush, you're fired.'

I'm not taken by surprise, but it still...hurts. 'Alright,' I say.

'I will not have a medic I cannot trust.'

Sky makes frantic shushing motions down at his side, but it's too late. I stiffen despite myself. 'What?'

'You had _one job,_ Mr Thrush.' Ozpin's voice is colder than I have ever heard it. 'You were to _be there_. You were to be _present,_ in case we _needed_ you. We needed you. And you _were. Not. There._ '

'Hard to argue with that,' I manage to get out. 'Is that all?'

'Wait, Russel was attacked!' Cardin bursts out. 'He was literally ambushed! Do you seriously think he just decided to ditch class and fuck off somewhere? It's not like he had a choice!'

'This is not your concern, Mr Winchester,' Ozpin says. 'This was your partner's. It was his responsibility, and he failed in it. I am terminating your employment, Mr Thrush, because you are _clearly_ not someone who can be relied upon.'

I stare at him. He stares back. 'There's this thing called text messaging,' I say finally. 'It lets you tell people things without going to all the trouble of dragging them up a fucking clock tower.'

'And let you avoid the consequences of your actions, Mr Thrush?' Ozpin asks. 'I think not. You children seem to think that what you do does not have ramifications. This is the real world. In this place, things you do cause _ripples_. For once in your lives, I want you to think about the effects of your actions. Because I assure you, they do exist, and you can no longer escape them. We do not live in a vacuum, nor do we live unobserved. I cannot afford to have you acting as if you are the only things that are truly real. I _will not_ have it.'

He rises and crosses his hands behind him. 'You are dismissed.'

I feel numb. A creature as clockwork as the gears behind Ozpin. I don't move when the rest of my team does; I just stare at him, wondering when the dream will end. It is like a dream: things that are recognised but seen entirely anew. This old man, his eyes so unkind, is like a horrible dark echo of someone I actually...trusted.

'It wasn't my fault,' I manage.

His face doesn't soften. 'You have been dismissed, Mr Thrush.'

I have, and it hurts me more badly than I could ever imagine. Cardin grabs my arm. Anyone else I would fight off. Instead, I let myself be guided, to the door, and out the door, and back into the darkness.

'Russel,' Sky says, once we're moving down the stairs. 'It's not–'

I make a break for it and Cardin catches me before I've gone two steps. Dove grabs Cardin with one hand and the railing with the other, anchoring us before we get the chance to pitch headfirst down the stairs. 'Don't run from us, Russel, or I swear I'll break your legs again!'

'Russel, listen, it's not what you think,' Sky says urgently.

'What is it, then?' I demand, trying to keep my voice from cracking. 'Fuck, I just want one thing to _work_. I was trying, y'know that? I was actually trying, and it still _broke_!'

This is normally where I get poetic. This is normally where I launch into one of my rants, speaking right over the top of anyone who tries to calm me down until I run out of steam entirely. But this is different. This hurts too much for words.

Sky steps up, and puts a hand on my arm. 'Russel,' he says seriously, his eyes dark. 'You're right. Something _is_ going on.'

'Sky?' Dove says cautiously.

Sky glances up, then down, and closes his eyes for a moment. After a second, I realise what he's doing: using his Semblance to check we're alone in the stairwell. This is so out of character, I actually straighten and start paying attention.

Once he's sure we're alone, he turns back to us. 'I don't know what, but _something_ is happening.' Sky's face is more serious than I have ever seen them.

'Why do you think so?' Cardin asks.

Sky shakes his head slowly. 'He was lying. Ozpin... was _lying_ to us.'


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

We don't feel safe speaking in the stairwell. We don't feel safe speaking in our dorm. We sure as fuck don't feel safe speaking in the market, full of strangers and strange fighters. In the end, I take them to the cliffs, and we crowd around each other like ancient humanity huddling around a fire.

We have our scrolls, but with the new paranoia that's dancing in our veins, nobody objects when Sky collects them all, takes off his tabard and wraps it around the scrolls. Then he leaves it fifty metres away. He'll hear them, but unless our scrolls suddenly develop sentience, an agenda, and Sky's Semblance, they won't be able to eavesdrop on us.

At this point in time, the likelihood of them developing Sky's Semblance is the only thing that sells me. I'm not writing off anything else.

'So,' Dove says, trying to smile. 'Thus is assembled the first meeting of the Knights of What the Fuck is Going On. Trademark pending.'

'Sky,' Cardin says, 'You said Ozpin was lying. What precisely was he lying about?'

'Ok, so he fires Russel, right?'

'Yes,' I growl. If Sky is going to rehash the whole embarrassing thing piece by piece, I'm leaving. Or punching him.

'And he said he wouldn't have a medic he couldn't trust. That was the lie.'

My heart lifts despite myself. 'Yeah?'

'Yeah. The whole "one job" thing wasn't a lie–"

'Skyyyyyyy,' Cardin says warningly.

'Lemme finish!' he snaps in irritation. 'I'm not _doing this_ to be a dick, alright? I think it's pretty frickin' important to know exactly what he was lying about!'

'Alright, ok, that's fine, man!' I say, raising my hands. 'You're totally right. Do your thing.' Sky lashing out is definitely among the more fucking bizarre things that have happened to me tonight. It's like getting attacked by a rabbit. We all really are on edge.

'Ok.' Sky exhales, and Dove pats him on the shoulder. He smiles briefly at Dove, then turns back to us. 'So then you decided to be all stoic about it. Cardin took your side. Ozpin told Cardin to fuck off, and that this whole deal was your responsibility. Lie. You can't be relied upon? Lie. Kind of.' He hesitates and glances at me. 'Sorry, but I think the whole losing-your-scroll-thing sort of muddies the issue. But then it gets interesting, right?

'He started talking about the real world and consequences. Guys, he was really focussed about that. He was dropping _serious_ hints.'

'He was,' Dove confirmed.

'How would you know that?' Cardin exclaims.

'You were looking at Ozpin. _I_ decided to watch Goodwitch.' Dove shrugs at us as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

' _Fuck_ you're smart sometimes,' I say, insultingly impressed. Dove decides to take the compliment and pretend it wasn't entirely backhanded.

'Want to be the team leader?' Cardin asks. 'Because I just can't help but worry that you'd do a better job of it.'

'Cardin, I would shoot myself with my own sword-gun before I tried to do your job. I'd stab myself too,' he adds. 'I could do both. At the same time.'

'Anyway, tell them what you saw,' Sky prompts him. He doesn't seem at all surprised that his partner had that sort of presence of mind. Fuck, do they do this sort of double-teaming often? How many times have they pulled that on _us_?

'Goodwitch felt like a total bitch,' Dove says promptly. 'She was looking at you, Russ, but only barely. Like it seriously, legitimately hurt her to watch you get torn a new one. You could tell because her face got all pinched. And then Ozpin starts talking about the heavy shit and she starts staring straight at you.'

'Her face gets all pinched when she gets angry,' Cardin points out.

'Come on, we've all seen her angry before,' Dove says, finally sounding insulting. 'Gimme some credit for basic visual memory, yeah? I mean, what the fuck do you think I've been doing in the semester and a half since we've been here?'

It breaks the tension like a bulldozer into a gingerbread house. We start laughing and don't stop until it becomes hard to breathe. 'Keep going,' Cardin says finally, pushing me off his shoulder, where I collapsed a few minutes ago rather than waste the effort of keeping myself upright.

'That's it. She was feeling some feels, and if it wasn't anger, what's the alternative? In this situation? If what Ozpin was saying was true, it'd be anger. She's not, so it's not.' Dove shrugs. 'That is the extent of my logical deduction.'

'It's pretty fucking valid,' Cardin mutters. 'Holy shit, Dove.'

'If I had a dime for every time I heard that,' Dove said modestly.

'So he's talking about consequences, but I'm not in trouble,' I say slowly. We all look at each other, the humour draining from our faces.

'We don't panic,' Cardin says firmly. 'We talk this out. First person who panics gets slapped across the face until they snap out of it. Sky. _Word for fucking word._ The heavy shit.'

Sky inhales and closes his eyes. '"And let you avoid the consequences of your actions, Mr Thrush?"' Damn, he does a good Ozpin. I almost wish the circumstances were a little less grim and a little more – anything else. '"I think not. You children seem to think that what you do does not have ramifications."'

'Ok,' Cardin interrupts. 'That's vague enough to sound significant. Keep going.'

Sky nods distractedly. '"This is the real world. In this place, things you do cause _ripples_. For once in your lives, I want you to think about the effects of your actions. Because I assure you, they do exist, and you can no longer escape them."'

' _That_ sounds fucking ominous,' Dove mutters.

'There's not much left,' Sky mumbles. '"We do not live in a vacuum, nor do we live unobserved. I cannot afford to have you acting as if you are the only things that are truly real. I will not have it."'

For several moments after he's done, we don't speak. I lean against Cardin's shoulder again and stare at the stars littering the sky. This time Cardin lets me. I wonder if he feels as tired as I do right now.

'As your leader,' Cardin says finally, 'I think I'm probably the one to whom the duty falls to say it. We're fucking boned.'

'Shut up, Cardin,' I mumble. 'You and Dove don't both get to be right in the same conversation. My brain can't handle it.'

'Are you panicking?' Dove asks. 'Because I call shotgun on slapping you if you are.'

'Fucking try it!' I bark.

' _Focus_ ,' Cardin sighs, sounding like a harassed mother. 'We need to _work this out_.'

'What is there to work out?' I snip. 'You're right, we're boned. Ozpin was talking about consequences and ramifications, right? Of actions. But we've established that my actions aren't the issue. So obviously he's worried about someone else.' Despite myself, my voice is rising. I hush it and glance around, and Sky actually glares at me. He's right, of course; the chances of me picking up something he hasn't are less than the chances that Weiss Schnee would publicly strip her top off and declare her love for me.

'Don't make me think Dove was right to want to slap you,' Cardin warns me.

I run my hand over my hair, trying to calm myself. I manage to smooth my tone, but now it's hot with anger. 'You aren't _thinking_ about this. _None_ of you are. The healer gets ambushed and incapacitated and then Ozpin calls us onto the carpet and starts talking shit about consequences and ramifications. You all think that's a _coincidence_? FUCK!' I yell suddenly, making them all flinch.

'Russel's right,' Sky hisses. 'Ozpin was trying to _warn_ us.'

'Warn us about what, though?' Dove demands. 'You're pulling out a lot of supposition but you need to back it up with something.'

'Bullshit we do,' Cardin says briskly. 'Hope for the best and plan for the worst.'

'Come on, though,' Dove pleads. 'Yang attacking that dude was out of character but only _barely."_

'Ex-fucking-cuse me?' I demand, genuinely offended.

'I said it was out of character,' he snaps back. 'Yang is a fucking hothead, you can't deny that. I didn't think she'd sucker punch someone but I wasn't totally surprised when she _did_. And you getting attacked was quite possibly Quarry. I know I'm playing Grimm's advocate but someone has to!'

'No,' Cardin says. 'Hope for the best, plan for the worst.'

'We can't really plan without data,' Sky mumbles.

'We _have_ data,' Cardin argues. 'We have that whole conversation. Planning for the worst, how paranoid can we get based on what Ozpin actually said?'

'We can't base what we think on that! Anything Ozpin says is just what Ozpin thinks is happening!'

'Dove, do you have _anything_ helpful to contribute?' I snarl.

'Dove, what's wrong?' Sky asks in a low, soft voice.

'Ok, for one thing, Russel needs to get fucked. And two...' He hesitates, and suddenly I realise his edginess was worry the entire time. Something has been playing on Dove's mind, and I feel bad for not realising earlier. 'One thing about Ozpin's little speech I can't get out of my head...Why did he use the word "observed"?'

The wind is all that moves.

'I mean,' Dove says, sounding suddenly subdued, 'Has Ozpin _ever_ been the type of dude to give a flying fuck what people think about his school? And how did those cops even find you guys? How did anyone know where you were? How did whoever get you get you, Russel, and then how'd the cops find you?'

As one, we all turn and stare at the scrolls, fifty metres away in the darkness.

'My scroll sent me a message from Yang,' I say, my voice barely there. 'Even though the battery was literally out.'

'I think I'm going to be sick,' Sky mutters.

Dove wraps his arm around Sky's shoulders. 'This is insane. We'll drive ourselves mad, doing this, that's why I didn't want to help you idiots whip yourselves into a frenzy!'

'You're right,' Cardin says. 'This is too much. We can't deal with this on our own. We're going to find help.'

'Help from _who_?' Dove demands, exasperated.

'Wait,' Sky interrupts, still sounding shaky. 'There's one thing we need to discuss.' He glances at me and I glare at him. I know what he's going to say. He knows I know what he's going to say. I _don't_ want to hear it. He gives me an apologetic look and turns back to our team. 'The other bit of data we have–'

'I'm a target,' I interrupt. It makes rage bubble in my throat to say it, but someone has to.

'What?' Dove exclaims.

I shrug moodily and look away. Sky rests a hand on Dove's shoulder. 'That was the whole point,' he says softly. 'Ozpin could have dropped us a warning at any time. He could have just disciplined Russel, said all the things he said anyway without doing anything. Actually dismissing him as medic was to get him out of the spotlight. Summoning us with him was to make sure he was surrounded by three fighters who knew he was just attacked.'

Cardin's eyes are dark with rage, but his voice is calm. 'A good point. So, Russel. You're going _nowhere_ without at least two of us with you at all time.'

I look at him. There are some things I can fight him on. This is quite plainly not one of them. I nod grudgingly and look away again. 'What help?'

'What?' He really _had_ expected me to fight him, the idiot!

'What help?' I repeated. 'Who are we going to for help?'

'The only other person we can be sure knows what's going on,' Cardin says grimly.

* * *

It's too late in the night to do anything, so we pass a restless night in our dorm, and then spend over an hour the next day searching the school before we stumble across the staff lounge. Goodwitch is there – as is Port, Oobleck, Peach and every other teacher at the school, and a few who came with their students from the other kingdoms.

'Ok, who found the ancient tome of eternal darkness and opened a portal to hell?' Dove asks.

'Maybe we should have just said her name three times in front of a mirror,' I mutter, peering around the corner at the door. 'That's pretty foolproof, yeah?'

'So here's what we do,' Dove says seriously. 'Find Nora – fill one of her grenades with holy water – and throw it through the window, then toss a net over her as they flee.'

'Don't be stupid, holy water totally liquefies the un-dead,' I say reprovingly. 'We just have to get onto the school speaker system and say that there's the blood of virgins going for free in the cafeteria.'

'What, did Cardin cut himself on a butter knife in there?'

' _Or_ ,' Cardin says, tossing a casual punch at Dove's kidney, 'We can do the sensible, _responsible_ thing... and make Sky go and get her.'

'WHAT?' Sky gasps. 'How is that fair?'

'Oh, it's not,' Cardin says blithely. 'Off you go. Team leader's orders.'

'It's fine, Sky!' Dove gasps from the middle of Cardin's headlock. 'I know what flowers you like, so I know what you'd want at your funeral!'

'There _will be_ a reckoning,' Sky says bitterly. 'Oooooh yes. And it will be the stuff of legends and nightmares!' Still muttering dark imprecations, he goes to the door of the lounge, knocks politely, and tucks his hands behind his back like the good student he is.

Port opens the door, has a short discussion with Sky, and then summons Goodwitch. Sky turns and beckons us. We step around the corner. Sky beckons again, and Cardin hastily shakes his head. None of us are getting any closer to the staff lounge than we have to. Goodwitch rolls her eyes and stalks over to us.

'Yes, Mr Winchester?' she asks impatiently.

'We're concerned that the tournament will have a negative effect on our grades,' Cardin says carefully. 'Specifically, the fact that Russel got fired the way he did.'

'If you're asking me to have Mr Thrush rehired-'

'That airship has sailed,' I snark.

'Then I'm sorry, but I don't see how I can help you.'

'Seriously?' I exclaim, unable to help myself.

Goodwitch opens her mouth, looking seriously annoyed, but luckily Sky steps in. 'Professor...' He looks around at us hopelessly, then turns back to her. 'Look, Russ got ambushed. We think that it was - unnecessary to fire him.'

'He was fired for unreliability.'

'But there are _obviously_ external factors at play here.' Sky cocks her head at Goodwitch, raising his eyebrows. 'We don't want to take up too much of your time, and obviously a _public_ hallway isn't the place to have this discussion, but we'd _really, really_ like to know - uh...' He gropes for the words.

'What the next steps are, in fixing this problem,' I suggest. 'Because there is a problem. It's pretty frickin' obvious there's a problem. And we want to try and help.'

'Our grades,' Sky adds hastily.

Goodwitch has gone pale, but she maintains her reserve. 'I see,' she mutters.

'So we just really want to know what the best course of action is,' I prod, trying to remember all the pompous boring speeches I've ever heard. 'Like, we've recognised there's a problem, but we aren't entirely sure what it is and we really want to fix it, y'know?'

'That's very admirable of you, Mr Thrush.'

Is she going to feed us bullshit until we get fed up and go away? I raise an irritated eyebrow at Cardin and he shrugs at me. 'So, yeah, Professor...Honestly, we'll take whatever advice you've got. You know a lot more about this than we do, and uh, we just think it would reflect a lot better on us if we got proactive about fixing the problem, right? Like, if we leave it, how much worse will it get?'

Goodwitch's eyes glitter for a moment and she nods slowly. 'That's perceptive of you, Mr Winchester. I can appreciate your concern.'

'Do we need to be worried?' Dove asks.

'Yes,' Goodwitch says bluntly. 'I was not impressed by your technique, and while the festival tournament is not meant to receive official academic attention, it would be disingenuous to pretend we don't see what occurs during the course of it.'

'Any suggestions?' Cardin prompts. 'On how we can improve everything?'

Goodwitch looks exhausted. Massive bags shadow her face, and she's still paler than normal. 'I'm afraid I don't have anything to tell you just at this moment, Mr Winchester. That you're aware of the problem goes some way to alleviating the potential consequences, but I'm afraid that now that you're out of the tournament, all we can do is wait and see. You may have a chance to redeem yourselves later.'

'So just hang out in our dorm rooms?' Dove exclaims, irritated.

Goodwitch opens her mouth to snap something, then instead, she nods slowly. A tiny smile is creasing her lips. 'Precisely. Stay in your dorm room.'

'You think?' Cardin says, testing the waters.

'Or do whatever you see fit,' Goodwitch snaps. 'I am sure your judgement has been _impeccable_ up until this point.'

Wow, bitchy. Still, if we're even close to right, she's under an unimaginable amount of stress right now. 'Ok, Professor, ok!' Cardin says, raising his hands. 'We'll have a quiet day in.'

'Good,' she says stiffly, and turns and stalks back into her lair.

'That was fucking useless,' Dove mutters.

'Maybe.' It's all Cardin will say.

* * *

He actually does make us go back to our dorm room after all that. Sky begins flipping through the pages of a book, staring at the wall. Dove starts playing with Sky's hair. I decide now is a good time to start the tedious process of cleaning out the Dust-chambers in Polaris and Octantis and Cardin begins to polish his armour, all three suits of it.

'What are we doing?' Dove says after an hour.

'Waiting,' Cardin says tersely.

'For?'

'In your case, a slap across the face.'

'Fuck off, Cardin!' Dove bounds off the bed and stalks towards him. 'Your supreme leader bullshit doesn't mean the rest of us don't get a say. You assholes don't like it that I'm poking holes in your theory but guess what? I'm not! The holes are there and I'm just making sure you morons see them!'

'Sky, we good?' I mutter. It's bizarre watching someone else fight with Cardin. This is my thing, dammit!

'We're fine,' Sky mutters back. 'JNPR's the only one on this floor, and they can't hear us.'

So we can't make them stop arguing. Greeeeaaat.

'You know what else is there? The thing the holes are in!' I think Cardin lost track of that metaphor. So does Cardin, clearly, because he change tack and says, ' _Something_ is happening, Dove. There's been too much weird shit in the past year for it to be coincidence, and if the weird shit is starting to focus on this team, then we aren't going _anywhere_ until we know what to be afraid of.'

A weird throb of guilt hits me, that we're cooped up in here because I'm a target.

'We – don't – KNOW THAT!' Dove yells.

'What Ozpin said,' Sky begins.

'No, forget that,' I say. 'Back to basics. If Ozpin had a handle on this festival then this whole bullshit wouldn't even have happened. I got attacked, and Yang attacked someone else. Someone is planning something bad –'

'Nefarious,' Dove puts in.

' _Nefarious_ , then, but they're playing a low game. Not just a military attack.' I pause. 'Although...we had a military attack.'

'The train? No way! That was the Fang!' Dove exclaims.

'It was a crime lord,' Sky corrects.

'You know that for a fact, do you?' Cardin asks cynically.

'That's who they arrested!' Sky snaps. Oh, his faith in the justice system is just _precious_.

'So a petty crime lord just suddenly decides to up and lead a Grimm incursion? Fuck, Sky, you're meant to be the smart one!' I exclaim.

'It still wasn't a military attack. Dove is right, it was terrorism!' Sky snaps.

'But that's it, isn't it?' Cardin asks suddenly. 'The Fang went from kicking Weiss' company's ass for pretty valid reasons to trying to take down a city full of innocent people. A crime lord went from ripping off Dust shops to trying to set up a wholesale slaughter. A fighter without-' He hesitates. 'I was going to say "history of violence", buuuuuut _...'_

'She's not a total sociopath,' I say, stung.

'Precisely! A fighter who's not a total sociopath sucker-punched someone on international television in the middle of the festival.'

'A festival devoted to love and peace,' Dove adds.

'Yeah! There's a pattern,' Cardin decides. 'I can't understand what it is, though.'

'It has to be the use of proxies,' Sky says impatiently. 'The crime lord, the Fang, even Yang – they were all puppets, or tools, at least. Has to be, they aren't related to each other otherwise.'

'That makes everyone even worse!' Dove exclaims. 'If whoever it is uses puppets, then we'll have to look out for everyone, not even just the enemies!'

'What part of "worst-case scenario" confused you so badly?' I snap.

'Ok, Dove, what's the alternative?' Cardin asks. 'What's the other explanation for all this bullshit?'

Dove shrugs. 'Shit happens?'

'Dove,' Sky says, 'I love you. You _know_ I love you, more than life itself. But don't you think it's a lot of shit in a real short time?'

Dove rubs his eyes. 'Are you guys forgetting the world we live in? Everything that's happened is stuff that's happened before!'

'Actually,' a familiar voice says, 'That's not entirely true.'

We spring up like we've been burnt, drawing our weapons and spinning into combat stances. Corvus, leaning against the wall, does not give a single fuck. 'Hi boys,' he adds.

'Fuck,' I mutter. My nerves are shot to shit; adrenaline is pumping through me like a shot of caffeine. 'How the fuck–Sky, how did you miss that?'

'Oh, the clock chimed and the wind picked up just as I was coming down the building,' Corvus says, jerking his hand at the window behind him. 'Just bad luck, nothing you have to worry about.'

'Why the _fuck_ did you break into our dorm room through the window?' Cardin yells.

'I thought you wanted an update on all those "external factors",' he says, making the air quotes.

We exchange confused glances. What the fuck?

'Y'know, when Goodwitch told me she thought you boys had caught on, I didn't actually believe her,' he continues, his red eyes bright. 'Then she told me that she and Ozpin had made the, shall we say _tactical_ error, of letting Sky hear them bullshit. That's the advantage of intangible Semblances – they give you a hell of an edge if the people you're fighting don't know about them. She was pretty mad when I explained it to her. She thinks you've been cheating in class.'

'As if I need to,' Sky mutters reflexively.

'NOT THE POINT, SKY!' I exclaim.

'You're _in_ on this?' Cardin demands.

'There _is_ something going on?' Dove bursts out.

'Sit down, boys,' Corvus says, perching on the foot of Cardin's bed. 'This is going to take a little while.'

We stare at each other, and then sit down. 'First things first,' Corvus continues. 'My name is Qrow Branwen. Tai said he told you who I was–'

Dove starts laughing all over again and I flush bright red. 'Relax, kid,' Qrow says to me, grinning. 'I remember what it was like to be seventeen, even if Tai pretends he doesn't. I'm not going to give you a hard time over it.'

'Oh thank god,' I say with genuine relief. 'Don't tell him I said this, but Yang's dad is scary as fuck when he's mad at you.'

'Heh, you should see her mother in a mood. But anyway.' Qrow sobers up quickly. 'I heard you got attacked right before Yang's fight. I don't have to tell you how convenient _that_ was.'

I grimace and nod. 'We're – we think something is going on.'

'Well, you're not wrong.' Qrow drums his fingers, thinking. 'Russel...You know why you were attacked?'

'We're not positive,' I say, 'but we think it was because I'm a healer.'

'That's the first step in the chain,' Qrow agrees. 'What's the next?'

'What?'

'What does you being a healer have to do with anything?'

'He couldn't heal that fighter that Yang hit,' Sky says.

'Right. So on international television, a kid got possibly crippled, and then rushed off to hospital.' Qrow spread his hands. 'That seem weird to you?'

'Not if his kneecaps were shattered,' Sky says acerbically.

'If they had tanked him up on painkillers and waited for ten minutes, they could have found a healer whose Semblance is making it like it never happened,' Qrow points at me. 'If you had been around, they probably would have had you run out into the middle of the stage and heal that kid on international television, because that would have shown every single person watching that the problem had been fixed. So why didn't they?'

'We don't know,' Cardin says after a minute.

'Well, for one thing, they couldn't find you,' Qrow says. 'For another, it sounds like you were in no shape to respond. But more importantly – this tournament has never had a healer, and I'll be honest, I think putting you on retainer was a bad way to go about it. They should have made it more official, should have kept you ringside for every match. Nobody was sure how to deal with you, what injuries were serious enough to call you in... Ozpin likes the light touch where he can manage it. I think that was a mistake here. The medics didn't automatically think to call you in, the chain of authority was unclear, and by the time they got their heads out of their asses, someone else had already authorised for the kid to be rushed back home. But that's all admin. The real question is, what did the _audience_ know?'

'What?' I'm completely thrown off balance.

'The audience. The kingdoms. The people this festival is _for._ All of them were watching the tournament and as far as they know, a fighter just crippled someone else. They didn't get to see the solution, they didn't get to see the problem get fixed. They just saw bloody, underhanded, vindictive violence of the sort that started the Great War. But that's not all there is to it. I've spoken to Yang. She says that kid attacked her.'

'That's not possible,' Dove says impatiently. 'Not unless she was seeing things.'

'I know my niece. She wasn't lying. She honestly believed that she was acting in self-defence. Combat fatigue can be a strange thing, but I think this would be almost too convenient, don't you?' Qrow eyes us all.

'Combat fatigue...' I murmur. 'Cardin...Coco...'

We stare at each other. 'No way,' I say finally.

'It fits,' he says slowly.

'Care to share with the class, kids?' Qrow crosses his arms.

'This is too bullshit,' I announce.

'It's too convenient. It was the same team,' Cardin points out. 'No way that's a coincidence.'

I rub my forehead. 'And thus the paranoia increases.'

Cardin shrugs irritably, then turns to the rest of them and tells them about Coco approaching us after her match. Qrow gets very, very quiet.

'That would fit with – some things I know, and saw,' he says after almost five minutes of total silence. 'An illusion Semblance...Not unheard of, but very, very, very, _very_ rare. And a lot of the time – very dangerous. Most of it plays out like that pink-haired kid you fought, obvious tricks. Something this subtle...'

'I bet you could handle it,' Dove says to Sky.

'I bet you could, too,' Qrow agrees, surprising us. 'You did in your team's first match, after all. So you stay with the rest of your team at all times, got it? If these people are as well informed as we think, then they might try to do something about you. If their illusionist is their ace in the hole, they may try and make sure he retains his value.'

'That's dedication, though,' Cardin says. 'Using your Semblance to get your own legs crippled, to make Beacon look bad?'

'To make Beacon look bad?' Qrow grimaces. 'Think a little bigger, kid. This is a _heist_. This is the biggest damn heist in the world, and the people behind it are getting desperate. We think Team RWBY messed up their schedule when the girls stumbled across that mess in Mountain Glenn. Now, they're improvising, and unfortunately they're doing pretty friggin' well.' He looks around at us, and then shakes his head slightly. 'Look...You know what the greatest deterrent to criminals is?'

'Jail?' Dove suggests.

'No. The greatest deterrent isn't getting caught. It's the _fear_ of getting caught. Trust me, there's a difference. Random breath-tests, they only work because they're _random_. You can't avoid them. It's that uncertainty, that inability to plan if you don't know all the elements. That's what makes people afraid of getting caught. But chaos, it can be an element all in itself. If you can plan for chaos, then it's a good bet that whatever you're planning will work.' He waits a few minutes, and then prompts, 'Pretend RWBY hadn't saved the day. What would have happened?'

'A Grimm incursion,' Sky whispers, going very pale. ' _Chaos_.'

Qrow nods. 'If that train had happened two days later, it would have been a massacre, and they would have been free to do what they wanted while it all bubbled over. There would have been no Hunters to stop them, because what Hunters there were would have been dealing with the Grimm. _That's_ channelled chaos. These people, we think they're trying to whip up a situation where the Hunters have bigger, more immediate problems. They're going to shatter everything in the hopes of slipping through the cracks.'

'All this to steal something?' I ask, feeling sick.

'This whole thing, they're trying to stir up the Grimm again!' Sky exclaims, talking over me in his excitement. 'Yang, they used her to make the audience horrified. They used her to make the _world_ horrified. They're – god, they're trying again!'

'Yep,' Qrow says grimly.

'Why are you telling us this?' Dove croaks. We've all gotten pale and tight-faced.

'It's a school. We're doing what schools do: taking a buncha fuckwit teenagers and pointing them in the right direction.' Qrow shrugs. 'Look, kids, pretend I'm a teacher.'

'You are,' I point out.

'Pretend I'm _your_ teacher. What do you know?'

' _Nothing_ ,' Dove exclaims.

'Precisely. So what do we do?'

'Get more information?' Cardin asks.

'Yeah. And how do we do _that_?'

'Uh...' Cardin shrugs.

'You're going to say do more study, aren't you?' I ask, resigned.

'When you don't even know the topic? I'm going to say wait and see. Listen. Whoever these people are, they're going to try and steal something. To do that, they need a distraction. You were right, they fight through tools, so we're pretty sure it's just a small core group. If we can pin them down, we can deal with them, so all we – all _you_ can do is be ready.'

'Wait, wait, wait,' Sky interrupts. 'What on earth do we have at Beacon that's worth these people trying to steal?'

That's a really good question. We all stare at Qrow. Qrow shakes his head. 'Sorry, kids, that's on the cut-your-throat-before-reading list of secrets. You can't know that. You can _never_ know that.'

'Then how the _fuck_ will we know if someone is coming to steal it?' Dove is done. Dove is honestly just done with this whole bullshit.

Qrow shrugs at us. 'Your job isn't to defend Beacon. Your job is to defend all the people who can't fight back the same way you can.' Qrow rises. 'Goodwitch didn't plan on you boys becoming involved, neither did Ozpin. For better or worse, Sky makes for a pretty good spanner in the works. Hell, _I_ could have told them that, after the crap you boys pulled on our training mission. But now that you have a clue, we're going to put you to use. Spend the rest of the festival in the city. You can keep an eye on all the civilians, and you'll be a lot harder to get to down there. Anyone who tries to take a shot at Sky or Russel is going to have to plan a lot more carefully. Hopefully we can make it too much trouble for them to bother.'

'So we hurry up and wait,' Cardin sums up.

'Look on the bright side, the festival doesn't have that much longer to run,' Qrow says.

'I swear to fucking god, if you say what could possibly go wrong, I'm stabbing you on principle,' I tell him.

'Trust me, kid, I'm the last person to underestimate all the things that can go wrong.' Qrow shakes his head. 'But if I have a personal motto, it's "This too shall pass". The bullshit can't last forever. Nothing can. We'll get a break, sooner or later, so we just have to bear up until the penny drops.'


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One**

The city seems quiet. Part of me thinks it's because everyone is in shock from what Yang did. The rest of me knows I'm being stupid and melodramatic, and it's just quiet in comparison to Beacon and the fair grounds, where I've been spending most of my time lately.

A few people recognise me and Sky, I think; more people than usual seem to be staring at the kid with the green mohawk. For a while I think I'm being paranoid - ok, _more_ paranoid - but then, 'Is it just me, or are people staring?' Dove mutters.

Sky nods. 'They've been replaying snippets of all the finalists' earlier fights all morning. And yesterday, too. That redhead we fought made it through, so everyone gets to see us getting ground into the dust. On repeat!'

'Man, they must be behind schedule,' Dove says. 'Weren't they expecting like three fights at least last night?'

'Yeah, they sort of got cut off at the knees,' I grin.

Dove turns to stare at me. 'That's sick, Russ.'

'It's my girlfriend who's going down for it,' I say moodily. 'If I can't joke about it, who can?'

'Aren't you sort of assuming Yang's role, there?' Sky asks a bit tartly.

'Fine, I'm the one who got beaten into a pulp to enable it. How's that?'

'Much more respectful of personal boundaries,' Sky says, straight-faced.

We browse the shops, get lunch, and then kill a few hours in a coffee shop. Even with the horrible lump of knowledge resting at the back of our minds, throats, and stomachs, it's – nice to hang out. Just to spend the day together, technically doing nothing at all.

As the sky darkens, we decide to go to a hamburger joint for dinner. The line is fierce, and Dove cranes his neck. 'Looks pretty packed.'

'This place is amazing, though,' Cardin says enthusiastically. ' _Such_ good burgers.'

The line of people waiting to go in is arranged so that we can all see the televisions above one wall. As we look up at them, it cuts to the previous fights of one Penny Polendina. I wince, watching it. Still, if it's any sort of consolation – which it mostly isn't – I suspect Sky and I were punching well above our weight with her anyway. Fucking redheads, amirite?

'You're right,' I say to Sky, raising my voice to be heard over the commotion. 'She pummelled us.'

As I speak, the conversation in the restaurant hits one of those strange lulls, and my words carry clearly. Every single head turns to stare at us. Dove snorts. I turn bright red. Cardin shakes his head like he can't even believe I'm the guy responsible for keeping him alive. And Sky covers his eyes so he doesn't have to see all those people make the connection.

'You did alright!' someone calls from the back of the room in a cheerful upbeat voice. The restaurant breaks into laughter, applause and cheers. Amidst the chaos, the owner bustles over, claps Cardin on the shoulder and leads us to a booth. It's not really meant for four people, but it's better than lining up. People give us pats on the arm and back as we pass them, and we actually have to high-five a few people. One girl drags Sky and I aside to take a photo with her friends, and then with the elderly tourists seated next to them. Even Cardin and Dove get roped in (true story, at least six girls walk away having taken a photo of themselves feeling Cardin's muscles). Finally, we sit down, I give our fans a half-hearted wave, and turn back to my team.

'Please let's leave.'

'No way. Apparently the burgers here are really good,' Dove grins.

I give him a look that promises bitter revenge, and look at the menu. 'They fucking _better_ be.'

We place our orders and lean back as the restaurant owner dials up the sound. Oobleck and Port are announcing the next few contestants.

'…Penny Polendina from Atlas. And her opponent will be Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!'

'Fuck yeah!' I say enthusiastically. 'This is going to be _epic_.'

'Ok, who are we all betting on?' Dove asks in a business-like manner. 'I bags Pyrrha.'

'Pyrrha,' Cardin says instantly.

'Get fucked, you can't ask us to bet on the chick who beat us!' I protest.

'Sure we can. If she wins against Pyrrha the Motherfucking Immortal Nikos, you'll be completely vindicated,' Cardin points out.

'He has a point,' Sky says.

'Whatever,' I say, my attention already on the screen. They're ten seconds in and already I can hardly believe what I'm seeing. This is magnificent. Pyrrha is clever enough to realise that she needs to close, to take advantage of her close-range skills, but Penny is holding her off with ease. Pyrrha actually back flips to gain some ground. Pyrrha and Polendina are two of the best fighters I've seen, and watching them go against one another is like watching forces of nature clash. Penny starts firing lasers from her guns – holy shit, when did she get frickin' _lasers_? – and HOLY FUCK she just disarmed Pyrrha.

'I never thought I'd say this but I think Pyrrha's going to lose,' Dove says over the uproar as the restaurant cheers around us.

'No, look!' Sky says, his eyes narrowed. 'She just summoned her weapon back. And...then she lost it again.'

I click my tongue. 'Sloppy. People are going to catch on to what she does if she keeps–'

The world stops. Time stops. Pyrrha has stood up, and Penny has stood up, and then Penny is gone. All that's left are swords and body parts. Penny is gone. Penny is dead. Penny has been pulled apart.

The wires, I think numbly to myself. Her wires, the ones she used to control the swords. The ones that nearly sliced and diced me, if Sky hadn't warned me off. But there was nobody to warn Penny off...or Pyrrha... Penny – Pyrrha –

 _Why_?

Pyrrha, _why_?

'Where's the blood?' Sky whispers out loud. 'Why is there no blood?'

The restaurant is dead silent. People are on their feet, half-sitting, standing, it doesn't matter. We're all staring at the bloodless corpse scattered across the Arena.

'Polendina,' I breathe. ' _No_...' God, no...This is _wrong..._

I'm suddenly so very cold; colder than I've been at Beacon for a long, long time.

Then the screen flashes red, and I wonder for a wild moment if finally Penny has started to bleed, a wave of blood washing across the screen as if embarrassed at its own tardiness. A cardiovascular system taken as much by surprise as the rest of us. But no – it's a symbol. A chess piece, black on a blood red screen. We all stare at it, and listen to the melodic voice like blast-victims listening to the sound of rubble settling.

 **'** **This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are in reality nothing more than men. Our academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both.'**

An image of the girl they told me was a Huntress, trapped in her coffin of glass, springs to my mind, and I remember the sudden, lurching fear when it occurred to me to wonder if Ironwood was developing weapons designed to target Hunters.

 **'** **They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference.'**

God help me, I agree. I agree. Ironwood, what have you done? What have you wrought?

 _Why_?

 **'** **And what, I ask you, is Ozpin** **teaching his students? First, a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honour and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither.'**

That wakes me like a bucket of cold water. Yang is innocent. Pyrrha too, surely. I've never met a more moral person – no. I've never met a truer person. Pyrrha is stainless steel without a fleck of rust. She would never murder a girl just for facing her in a sparring match, just for having the audacity to look like she might win. Never. _Never_.

I grab Cardin's arm as the voice continues.

 **'** **Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets.'**

'Cardin,' I say urgently. He looks down at me, pale and shocked. I tighten my grip. 'Cardin. Dove, Sky.' I slam my fist on the table, making our silverware dance. ' _Damn_ you all, _listen_!'

 **'** **Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong, but I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is equally undesirable.'**

They all look at me. I don't know what's on my face, but fear churns in my belly, and it takes a real effort to keep it from dripping from my tongue, as I look them all in the eyes and say one word. ' _Chaos_.'

 **'** **Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So, I ask you, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust?'**

A siren sounds and though we've never heard it before, we all know what it means.

The Grimm are coming.

Chaos.

* * *

The restaurant erupts into screams. I hear glass breaking. People surge for the door, fighting one another, pushing and jostling and still screaming and crying out. The television screen has died. Of course it has, they've done their work. Now is the time they'll make their move, whoever they are, but Qrow was right: we have bigger problems just at the moment.

I don't know what to do, but luckily Cardin does. He grabs Dove, yells something in his ear, and Dove lunges to his feet, vaults onto his table and activates his Semblance. 'THAT'S ENOUGH!'

The windows rattle and a few more glasses break. People freeze in their tracks and turn to look at him. Cardin climbs onto the table next to him and cups his hands around his mouth.

'All of you, don't panic!' His voice is calm, loud enough to be heard without sounding frantic. 'There's a shelter at the end of the street. We're Huntsmen and we'll take you there, but you all need to stay calm. We're Huntsmen and we'll keep you safe.'

They're listening. God help me, they're listening, and even if they're not happy about it, they seem to believe him.

'Move away from the door and form an orderly line,' Cardin orders. They do it, and I fight to keep the astonishment off my face. 'Sky, you go first.'

We push our way through the crowd and then lead them into the streets. People are running to and fro, and Dove steps up again.

'EVERYONE HEAD FOR THE SHELTERS! FOLLOW US AND STAY CALM! DO NOT RUN, DO NOT PUSH!'

The restaurant manager who seated us emerges out of the crowd, his hand wrapped around an ancient-looking pistol. 'I'll take 'em to the shelters,' he says, voice trembling. 'You boys – you go help the rest.'

'Sky and Dove will go with you,' Cardin says briskly. Sky and Dove exchange glances but don't argue. Already we can see Grimm, hear their roars, feel the streets shake beneath our feet as they advance. The sky overhead is lit with stars that were never there before and that are gone after just a few moments: explosions, gunfire, weapons of the ships that Atlas brought here. Something up there has gone horribly wrong, I can sense it, and all I can hope for is that the civilians won't think to look up.

'What will you do?' the manager asks as his customers hurry past him, chivvied by Sky and Dove.

Cardin smiles and pats him on the shoulder. 'What do you think?' He draws Augusta Nave, spinning it so the crystal catches the light. 'We're going to kill the Grimm.'

The crowd around us is following the customers, like a river finding a new channel. They're all flocking to the shelter, and I know that Sky and Dove will get them there safely. The manager allows himself to be convinced, and disappears back into the darkness.

'Come on,' Cardin says, and takes off down the street at a purposeful jog.

'This is not how I planned to spend my night,' I tell him, running along easily at his side. 'We didn't even get our fucking burgers!'

'Is wittle Wussel hungwy?'

'Fuck yes I am. You promised me delicious burgers,' I say, grinning at him. There's an odd kind of freedom to me now. The worst has come to pass, and we're going to face it with weapons in our hands.

'I'll take you back there eventually,' he promises.

We round a corner and come to a large square. My stomach lurches as I see blood in the fountain at its heart. A griffin is hunched over on top of the fountain, tearing at something that I don't want to look too closely at. It raises its head at us and screams, and all around the square, the shadows come alive.

'Until then,' Cardin says, skidding to a halt and raising his weapons.

'Hey, don't have to tell me twice.' I draw the Stars and twirl them once, loosening my wrists. 'Let's fuck some shit up.'

We charge the Grimm.

I know when Cardin has activated his Semblance because the Grimm go mad, charging at him in a straight line. He strikes the ground, creating a trench to slow them down and trip them, and I leap to the side and start slashing around me like mad, zigzagging back and forth across the street. No plans, no plots, no clever manoeuvres. This is a massacre. The Grimm are blind to me, moths drawn to the flame of Cardin's Semblance, and I can kill many of them before they even have the chance to roar.

I concentrate on the younger Grimm, managing the rush, winnowing down the numbers and leaving the larger, slower, more heavily-armoured Grimm to my larger, slower, more heavily-armoured partner. It's easier said than done, though; Cardin's thrown his range as far as he can, and the Grimm are coming to us from all the streets around us. We end up at the blood-filled fountain; I start using it to launch myself at the Grimm from above Cardin's head, while he simply braces himself and continues swinging.

I trap them in ice and stone, I blind them with fire and some of them I send sprawling with air, to be trampled by their comrades, but we're being overwhelmed and I'm soon out of Dust. I can't afford to catch my breath, I can't afford to stop, or they'll tear Cardin apart. But we're getting overwhelmed, even without stopping, even without slowing down. A Boarbatusk hits me from behind and I fall, roll to my feet and then roll again to avoid a Beowulf. Cardin is trying to fend off an Ursa and a Griffin at the same time. Something else strikes me from behind and I fall –

And overhead, like light on the horizon, a silver line flashes past and smashes the head clean off the Ursa that just hit me.

I'm disoriented and exhausted but part of me is sane enough to tell the rest of me, _weeell, boys, we're_ _fucked._

Something seizes me by the collar and hoists me to my feet. It's fucking Saffron Spinelle. I wheel around wildly, looking for the Grimm, but even as I turn, there's a flicker of pink, and Kuttz beheads the last remaining Griffin. Cardin must have eased off on his Semblance when he realised we were out of our depths. A flash of silver and black – just as I dread – and Quarry is walking towards me, swinging his chains.

Cardin and I both tense, but he just gives us a polite smile. 'Where's the rest of your team, Cardin Winchester?'

'Helping to find survivors,' Cardin says warily. 'We're trying to buy them some time.'

Kuttz runs an eye over Cardin's battered armour. Blood is running from a cut on his head. I've been healing myself, but I'm still smeared with gore. 'I think we'll take over, children.'

'You don't understand, I can bring the Grimm _here_ ,' Cardin says furiously. 'I can keep them away from the civilians!'

'The civilians are still dying,' Quarry says dispassionately. 'There are too many Grimm for us, for any of us. But bring them, even so; bring all you can reach and all you can call. You bring them.' He grins, his eyes catching the light of some distant fire. 'We'll take care of the rest.'

Cardin nods. He looks exhausted. Then he turns to me. 'Russel, you need to go back to the shelters.'

I take a step back. 'What?'

'You need to heal the injured. You need to save as many as you can.'

'I'm not leaving you alone with these _psychos_ ,' I say, forgetting to lower my voice.

'Psycho. An interesting choice of words. You call me that because I lack mercy and compassion, and you're not wrong, but let me ask you something, Russel,' Quarry says pleasantly, as if we're old friends in the cafeteria, debating a point of philosophy on which we simply don't agree. All around us the Grimm are regrouping, and his team is taking up defensive stances, but he just stands there chatting to us. We're surrounded by monsters, black and white around us, black and silver at our heart.

'What?' I ask warily.

He gestures at the bloody square in a grand, elegant gesture. 'Do you see a place for mercy or compassion here?'

'Russel,' Cardin says, grabbing my shoulders and yanking me around to face him. 'You can _help_ people.'

Before I can argue, his scroll buzzes, and the screen lights up with Qrow's face. 'Cardin, you still alive, kid?'

'I'm here!'

'Good work. Me and Goodwitch are on Queen Street, where are you?'

'Lacuna Square,' Cardin says briefly. 'I've got some Hunters, but the Square's not defensible.' He glances up and around, clearly planning quickly, then he turns and gives me a brief grin before he looks down at Qrow. 'Queen Street is. You and Goodwitch stay where you are - I'm bringing the party to you.'

Qrow's smirk is visible from where I'm standing. 'The more the merrier, kid. You waiting for an invitation? Come join the dance.'

'Russel,' Cardin says quietly. 'Go do your job.'

I grit my teeth. 'Fine. Fine, I'll do my fucking job.' I reach for my scroll, and I open my contact list, and I broadcast a message to everyone on my contact list: all the students I know at Beacon, all the ones I knew at Shade...

I have more friends than I realised, I note with a lump in my throat.

'This is Russel Thrush, calling all available Huntsmen and Huntresses,' I snarl, leaping into the air. Cardin winds up and swings Augusta Nave, and I land on it, and then we launch me into the air, over the heads of the Grimm. I seize a fire-escape with a grunt, and crouch there for a moment, watching my partner leave the blood-soaked square, surrounded by monsters. 'We're making a stand in Queen Street. The Grimm will come to us, and we need anyone who can be spared. I repeat, we're making a stand in Queen Street, lead all the Grimm you can there!'

I break the connection before anyone can respond. The roofs aren't safe, but where the hell is? I hoist myself up onto the tiles and I start running for the nearest shelter. I've done all I can for now.

All I can hope is that it's enough.


End file.
